Poems by Irma Kurti

LEAVE THIS SUNSET TO ME

Leave this sunset to me, the clouds red
as if they feel guilty; I am sure, the most
talented painter would not succeed in
immortalizing on his canvas such beauty.

This time I won’t compare the sun to a
big ball of fire but to a shining eye in
love, which is trying to enter so gently
inside its lowered eyelids.

I will stay true to its charm, its mixed
colors of the rainbow, to the chills that
run through my body and soul, just like
fingers on the piano keyboard.

Leave this sunset to me.

MY PAIN

I locked my pain inside the walls
of home and set out on a journey.

I crossed paths and borders with
an old suitcase in my hand. Then
I admired landscapes and green
parks, I cuddled flowers with my
gaze. I saw happy people, heard
children’s cries: cheerful, joyful,
hovering in the blue like flocks
of birds. One evening I returned
home, weary of joy and lights.

I tried to lower my eyelids and
sleep, but it was in vain. Tears
and suffering did not allow me.

The pain of your absence was
waiting in my house. In a few
instants, it entered my soul and
heart, finding its old space again.

I THINK OF YOU

I think of you, despite your frequent
absences in my days, the messages
that go astray, your deep silence;
that is where I often drown myself.

I think of you, even though there are
thousands of reasons not to love you,
to get you out of my life, transform
you into an unforgettable memory.

I’ll take you away with me into the
days of sun and rain; when I rejoice,
you will also rejoice; I’ll despair, and
you will shed tears, too; when I hurt
myself, we’ll both feel the same pain.

I shall shelter you in my body, because
in my soul you’ve found a place long ago.

About the Poet:

IRMA KURTI is an Albanian poet, writer, lyricist, journalist, and translator and has been writing since she was a child. She is a naturalized Italian and lives in Bergamo, Italy. In 2020, she became the honorary president of WikiPoesia, the encyclopedia of poetry. In 2023, she was awarded a Career Award from the Universum Academy Switzerland. She also won the prestigious 2023 Naji Naaman’s Literary Prize for complete work. Irma Kurti has published 29 books in Albanian, 25 in Italian, 15 in English, and two in French. She has also translated 20 books by different authors. Her books have been translated and published in 16 countries.