Two poems by Irma Kurti

MY SEASONS

You see that lovely house on the hill
that has appeared like a giant mushroom?
I would like us to take refuge there,
far from this mad, chaotic world.

You’ll cover my body with flowers,
you’ll desire me in every white petal,
you’ll caress me just like the breeze,
keeping my fragilities in your hand.

When the wind scatters the petals,
you’ll recognize my autumn at once,
my youth lost in lines and wrinkles,
the sunset of faded charms.

You see that house? It seems unreal—
the backdrop of an ancient tale.
I’d like to live there through the seasons
for a year, a month, or a single day.

 
UNDER THE RUINS

I don’t remember how many cold days
this winter month has had, if it has been
snowing a lot, if the cars were stuck on
a patch of ice, if the happy children built
a snowman, if they were happier than ever.

I don’t remember if roads were flooded
by heavy rain, if it then poured into the
river, if its drops hit the glass window,
if a poet dedicated a poem to the sun,
if passionate couples kissed under the
angry sky, if steps vanished in the distance.

But I remember very well how many
cloudy and rainy days I had myself,
how many limpid tears I have shed,
how many others have frozen in my
eyelids, how many times I have tried
to find myself under the ruins, so as
to breath, to stand up more determined again.

IRMA KURTI is an Albanian poet, writer, lyricist, journalist, translator, and singer who has been writing since childhood. A naturalized Italian citizen living in Bergamo, Italy, she has received numerous accolades. She was awarded the Universum Donna International Prize (IX Edition, 2013) for Literature and a lifetime nomination as an Ambassador of Peace from the University of Peace in Switzerland. In 2020, she became the honorary president of WikiPoesia, the Encyclopedia of Poetry, followed by the title of "Liria" (Freedom) from the Italian-Albanian community in 2021. Her achievements continued with a Career Award from the Universum Academy Switzerland in 2023, and the “Golden Pen Award” in 2026, presented by the Korean Association of World Literature (KAOWL) in collaboration with the Culture & People newspaper.

Kurti serves as a jury member for several Italian literary competitions and works as a translator and coordinator for the Ithaca Foundation in Spain. To date, she has published 124 works, including poetry, fiction, and translations. With her poems translated into 40 languages and her books published across 25 countries, she is one of the most widely translated and published Albanian poets.