SAID MUGANLI - FROM JAIL POEMS (translated by Ziba Karbassi & Cristina Viti)

FOR ZIBA, IN HOMAGE TO HER WISDOM

Baygush ......... *

Owl
– remembering

Lale
what will you say, what will you tell the girl ?

Now
I`m up rough street
with my new hood

One poem
with all my hatred bundled tight in

This
from Evin to your haven
send
in`
it
 

Now I am Nader bruv now I am Hade blood
yo get over here my bitch

now this little one
is a wilful boy isn`t he

a book
– I`m publishing a book in here

for every punch
one book

o how
my owl is jessed how hooded ... baygush .... yashmak ... **

I LUV
ZIBA-LALE-FERESHTE

that`s
the writing on the wall here

two-
metre cell

know nothing of the third one

who`s that ?
who is that really ?

her name
sounds like fairy angel

you are here
the three of you

& Khaje Hafez
& his sister too

– oh look
there`s even a turnkey

what`s new
out there do you think

do you think
the sun`still up there

& my father
– is his cancer still there

how`s it going with the books ?


can I
share a secret ?

all our poets are in love with Ziba ....

& the only accent
I love to hear is Tabrizi

you can live
inside an accent you know

like it`s a country
or a body

everyday
they thrash me: `Say you don`t love her!`

& I say
`Cross my heart I don`t!`

But ………..
I do …………..


* `baygush` (owl) is the name of the online journal where Ziba Karbassi`s Turkish poems were first published and recorded.
** `yashmak` (hood or veil) is the name of Muganli`s publishing house and of a literary web site