Three Poems By Alisa Velaj: "A Tale", "Kindness", "Inception"

Alisa Velaj has been shortlisted for the annual international erbacce-press poetry award in June 2014. She was also shortlisted for the Aquillrelle Publishing Contest 3 in January 2015 and was the first runner up in this contest. Velaj’s full length book of poetry “A Gospel of Light” is published by Aquillrellle in June 2015. 

The three poems published here are included in the book “A Gospel of Light” published by Aquillrellle.  Alisa Velaj’s poems are translated into English by Ukë Zenel Buçpapaj.

Alisa Velaj was born in the southern port town of Vlora, Albania in 1982. She studied Albanian Language and Literature at the University of Tirana and earned a MA in Literature under the writer Mitrush Kuteli. Velaj now teaches Literature at the University of Durres. She is the author of two verse collections: Themelet e eres (Foundations of the wind) and Drejt ajrit (To air). Her works has appeared in a number of print and online international magazines, including Blue Lyra Review, One title reviews, The Cannon’s Mouth (UK), The missing slate (UK), The Midnight Diner (USA), Poetica (USA), Time of Singing(USA 2014 and 2015), Canto (USA), Enhance (USA), Ann Arbor Review (USA) The French Literary Review (UK),SpeedPoets (Australia), LUMMOX Poetry Anthology 3 (USA), Erbacce (UK), FourW twenty-five Anthology (Booranga Writers' Centre, Australia), Poetry Super Highway (USA), Knot Magazine (USA), The Otter (USA), The Journal (UK),Phenomenal Literature (New Delhi, India), The Brighter Light Poetry Anthology (CANADA), The Atherton Review(USA), Immagine & Poesia, Vol. 2 - Project ( e-book) (CANADA), Section 8 Magazine (USA) Miele 1110(Belgium), WritingRaw Poetry  (USA) and in the Anthology by Mago Books. (USA) She has also works in forthcoming issues of The Dallas Review (USA), Poetica (USA) and in three forthcoming issues of The Linnet's Wings(UK). 

A TALE

Once upon a time, sunflowers grew

Far from you,

With their face always turned

Towards God.

At this gloomy night

When crickets sing hymns to sadness,

I am telling about these temples of light

To you who loved lilies and daisies,

Burning with the same ardent fire.

I am telling it to you,

My love coming the homeland of waves,

And even dying strange deaths…

KINDNESS

For my brother, Egon

Birds have freedom inherent in their blood

All they need is to see a small piece of sky

My brother, you are a Phoenix reborn due to our toilsome efforts

Yet only once in a blue moon we can become your sky

The journey towards the truth

Is long, very long

So thoughts must bear

Patience

        Depths

                Peace

With the eagle’s eyes

Feeding on clear light

With the sharp sword

Always pointed to itself…

INCEPTION

My ancestor –

The Dolphin – conceived

Through the land of ice

And the test of fire…

Rowing the boat

Through the waters full of ice,

My selves sweated

More than when being near the flames…

My ancestor – the Dolphin

Swims slowly under a grizzled moon…

~Alisa Velaj

Alisa Velaj’s poems are translated into English by Ukë Zenel Buçpapaj.