Biljana Tasic

Biljana Tasic was born 1963 in Nis, Serbia, where she graduated on the Faculty of Law. Currently she is living in Belgrade.

She has been presenting her poetry in various literary magazines, journals, collections and live events. She published the poetry books: „Sailing“ („Brankovo Kolo“, Sremski Karlovci 2010), „In the Wind of the Dragon“(„Gradac“, Raska, 2011), which was translated to Macedonian language and published in Struga 2011, and „Osvrt i vrt” („Dinex”, Belgrade, 2015).

Biljana is member of the Writer's Society of Serbia, with the status of the independent artist-author. She is also member of the “Mensa”.

e/mail: biljana.2012@gmail.com

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OVERLAY AND SHADOW 

Scratch /up under

            the overlay

pull out the shadow

      then put it into a black hole!

The sun has no shadow

     the cloud no shelter

A scrabble –

an overlay and a shadow

                           is it all

  Truthful with the spark

     hidden                                                                                                                                

          even from itself

               * * *

A tied-down shadow

is walking

                 its root is buried

                             (at which point?)

                               to unstitch the seam

                              * * *

I’ve stayed/stood undressed

(before myself)

the bosom friend to myself    

       bowing before the sun        

              so that my shade burns /up

               so that I can be the same

                    transparent, radiant

                           divined                     

ENCOUNTER  EMBRACED

     UNDER  THE  WING

dedicated to my son Aleksej

How shall we call

this day?

Peace profound

solemn

today

     eighteen of yours

in one

            my angel

            you’ve grown up

where shall I light it up

     my womb

           why down

 I can’t go up

     nor can I go down

in-between (doesn’t exist?)

The church attendant

is collecting the burnt-out ones,

in an old can

                the ones that went out in fire

                the ones raised in a prayer

-Please

let

     this one

burn

 to the end

for seven months

     a blessing

under the same skin

     your time

here measured in hours

candles, minutes

         Who is going to

          put it out

                        - Holy Mother?

The seal into life

     the inscription onto the womb

                               I’m leaving

27^th December 2010, in the church of Alexandar Nevski, Belgrade, Serbia

FATHER, BLESS!

My soul has flown away!
What shall I call my dwelling-place?

                                  - Not home...

Too short the time
and too harsh the experience!
- Give me strength, God!

Then see me off
to further wanderings,
blessed...

* * *

- Keep looking at the sky!-
for everything else is a game
in the shallow water of a dream.

(My plea has been heard...
The universe has lit up through me,
in that dream-interlude).

The word has left me bare
and the craft of verse has stretched the wings
beyond the bounds.

RHYTM / TIME

Me – oftentimes a step-mother to my own self

who from dried-up time

is squeezing drops

            from one she is creating three

     - Do you think I’m going to

        let you go lightly?!

                           - not for a Moment!

                 N o w

we share the same

               Parallel

Self-confidently you are sinking into yourself

like the laughter of a cage-less bird

   - A reflection in the mirror!

                       - Do you still exist?

                           - Aha you are – still!

  - But Me - I know only of the sun!

* * *

Only as long as I am here

are you for me

                        (as agreed)

* * *

The first and the last impulse

is in my heart

             from where waves go  /

                         to Time

* * *

I am a passenger

and a guest

of yours

                 n o w

  - you the host of the Vestibule

Translated by Snezana Janicijevic