Poems by Sanja Baković

Autobus Za Trnavu
 
sve su ciganke trudne u autobusu za trnavu,
život se uvijek ugnijezdi gdje je najmanje straha.
sve su ciganke trudne u autobusu za trnavu,
ostale žene govore o zadebljanju zida maternice,
o bolestima, muškarci šute. neka šute, 
u bučna vremena lijepa je šutljivost. kao „š“
iz šume, iz šake, iz šimšira.
nitko ne govori hrvatski u autobusu za trnavu, 
al' bol ima razvijen dar govorenja u jezicima
pa se svi dobro razumijemo.
autobus za trnavu drnda prema istoku, 
istok vodi na istok, nakon istoka novi istok.
život se uvijek ugnijezdi gdje je najmanje straha,
pa buja i okreće svoj kotač kroz magmu sjaja i blata, 
neka, neka, neka vozi autobus, neka ne staje
do kamčatke, do kraja, i još, govor više neće 
biti važan, jednom, nitko više neće govoriti 
hrvatski, ni o bolestima, samo šutnja, samo sjaj.


The Bus to Trnava
 
all the gypsy women are pregnant on the bus to trnava,
life always nestles where there’s the least fear.
all the gypsy women are pregnant on the bus to trnava,
other women talk about the thickening of the uterine wall,
about illnesses, while men keep silent. let them,
in noisy times, silence is beautiful. like the “f” and “s”
in the forests, in the fists, in the firs.
no one speaks croatian on the bus to trnava,
but pain has the gift of speaking every language,
so we understand each other well.
the bus to trnava rattles east,
the east leads east, after the east, there’s a new east.
life always nestles where there’s the least fear,
and it blooms and turns its wheel through the magma of sheen and mud,
let it, let it, let the bus ride, let it not stop
until kamchatka, until the end, and more, the words will
no longer matter, once, no one will speak croatian and no one
will speak of illnesses, only silence, only sheen. 


Jubilej
 
moja sestra i ja zajedno
imamo sedamdeset godina.
žene su u tridesetima najbolje,
u pitanju je veliki mit
o filigranskom omjeru
mudrosti i svježine.
o ženi od trideset
pisao je Honoré de Balzac,
čitala si valjda taj znameniti roman
iz ciklusa o privatnom životu.
moja sestra i ja zajedno
imamo sedamdeset godina,
primjećujemo rast stopala
i širenje bokova,
ali o tome šutimo. tijelo je sve sporije, al luđe,
sve su sličnije linije
vanjskog i unutarnjeg lica.
neobični savezi se množe,
ona je postala majka,
a meni su izvadili zub.


Jubilee
 
my sister and I together,
we’re seventy years old.
women are best in their thirties,
that’s just a great myth
about filigree balance
of wisdom and vigor.
Honoré de Balzac wrote
about a woman in her thirties,
you must’ve read that famous novel
from his private life cycle.
my sister and I together,
we’re seventy years old,
we notice our feet are growing
and our hips are widening,
but we say nothing about it. the body grows slower, but crazier,
the lines of the external and internal face
are becoming more and more alike.
uncommon alliances are multiplying,
she has become a mother,
and I had a tooth pulled out.


Translated by Tomislav Kuzmanović
​

Photo by Suzana Arslani

Sanja Baković is a poet, a journalist and a communications specialist. Born in Split in 1976. She has a degree in journalism and currently lives and works in Zagreb. Launched project 'Let’s get blown away by poetry' (Odvalimo se poezijom) with the aim of increasing the visibility of poetry in the public space. Organised and led numerous poetry events and panels. Published poetry books 'Waterway places' in 2016 (Plovna mjesta) and 'Bus for Trnava' in 2020 (Autobus za Trnavu).

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