Miruna Romanciuc, The night is cold on my wrists
Her poems were published in online and also in print magazines such as O mie de semne, Noise Poetry, Echinox, Euphorion, Steaua, Vatra and Literomania. A few poems can be found in Generatia o mie de semne, a poetry anthology coordinated by Gelu Diaconu (Casa De Pariuri Literare publishing house, in 2022). She's had a few public readings in the context of some literary events, such as Saloanele Literare Familia, Alba Iulia Stand-up Poetry, Ecosistem, Poets of the East podcast, Zilele Poeziei Carturesti, Festivalul de Literatura Transdanubiana, Strada fara nume and on the youtube channel poezie contemporana romaneasca, a project coordinated by Cristina Ispas. At the end of 2023, she won the Ars Poetica distinction in Panait Cerna National Poetry Contest.
Chestnuts
in my hands:
I caused my vomiting reflex
my body still has an exit at the sea that I can't find
look
now I have this clean mouth
where I cross with my tongue
when I pass by the church
not for god
for my great-grandmother
I have this clean mouth I want you
to touch with your tongue the rusty papillae
& the words sealed in the gums
memory will squeeze your chest like a straitjacket
and you will want to breathe somewhere else
not here where an earthquake took place in our bones
and our unused muscles have fallen out yet
in the shell these are raw chestnuts from my collection
when I was 7 years old
I spray with gasoline everything I've felt
The night is cold on my wrists
how does your body move when
the night is cold on my wrists
the lips of the wound have whispered
I stand still in myself and I break all
the echoes that no one catches
it's all right
we are all absent-minded
when we are exhausted
but still
I find myself aggressively washing the dishes
while thinking of you and the crust of helplessness
grown over us
I wash the dishes these thoughts are stones
I take in my hand only when I hear dogs
barking at me
I see nothing
it's just me a little bit later
with the stones still
in my hand.
Good things catch less of my attention. Show me
where you're going when you are ashamed. I want to see
if they have windows - the places you feel
like mold resistant to everything especially
to the care of someone.
