POEMS

By

CHARLES FLORES

PARTY
				

I went to a party yesterday
And I ate the lovely skies of blue
A golden sun
And a few rubble walls
Before quenching my thirst
With a drink or two
Of Med Sea on the rocks.

The hot "pjazza"
And the bubbling feasts too
Were good,
But first and foremost at my next
Will be a blissful Maltese lady.
She was so good to taste,
So subtle and pure!
So nice, so appetising!

My dear host did everything
To please us all
And plates of creamy beaches
And ice-cream filled bikinis
Really did it all.
What spoiled the party in the end,
What put us off the very scene,
Was a blackish thing
Served in gigantic plates
To wind the party up:
A dishful of pollution.


[From: CORRESPONDENCES (Cog Press, Leicester, UK), 1973]

--------------------------


SUMMER HEART

			The icy drops of rain that fall
			And add the jigsaw puzzle on my window pane
			And the sudden flashes of blinding light
			That go across my room
			Like a haughty Christmas ghost
			Extinguish the flame
			That fills my heart
 -- a sunny heart of Maltese summer
with asphalt roads seething with the heat
and birds forgetting all their tunes
in a silly bid to drop their feathers
and join us in the swim.

My summer heart is crying loud,
A shout that echoes through
These cold and wintry caverns
Where life goes limp
And shadows play the game of death
Like a satanic dance
By homeless demons
And cold fires.
I am the sacrifice for all.
I am the naked being
Waiting for the sickening sound
Of a thousand whips
And a bloodless dagger
Getting red and redder as we go along.

Oh let my summer shine again,
Let it burst and overflow
Before this audience of perversion,
Let it jump the fires
And the whip and bleeding daggers,
The men in the ladies' dresses,
The ladies in men's suits,
Make love Satan a good saint
But first, please, first,
Put a lady in my stead.


[From: CORRESPONDENCES (Cog Press, Leicester, UK), 1973]


----------------------


STEPPING STONE

Nothing takes the place of youth……
A flower wrinkling underneath
	The heartless thud of time.
I am the good old lad - la la la la
	Of Dylan, Donovan.
There's a song that reminds me
Of our days and lost embrace,
Of the time we spent in happiness
Of the love that we exchanged.
	AND
	It's this
That makes me shudder
As I step into manhood.
Nothing takes the place of youth.
Here's a dagger,
Here's a knife.
Cut the flower.		
	Cut my life.


[From: A VOICE FROM KALKARA (New Broom Press, Leicester, UK), 1974]

-------------------------


PICK MY TEETH

I love to pick my teeth
And watch you grimace, my love.
It's funny, you know?
De Sade never thought of it
--  silly fellow!
I need not use the chains
Or the heavy locks and grizzly whips.
Life's got enough of that.
So while I pick my teeth,
Would you kindly grimace, love?


[From: A VOICE FROM KALKARA (New Broom Press, Leicester, UK), 1974]
			


******************************








VERSI VJOLINI VJOLENTI




AUSCHWITZ

KANTILENA

Aktar ma tghoddosni
Fil-hama ta' l-inkapacita'
U ggaghlni nisghol demm marid,
Aktar ma tonfoh bzieq musfar
F'ghajnejja
U tfaqqa' d-daqqiet kiefra
Fuq is-sinsla mgengla,
Aktar se ssibni
Bilgri lura nilheg f'wiccek
Nistenna t-tama
Tfaqqas qlub tad-deheb
U flieles ckejkna jpespsu
Go widnejk
Il-melodija tal-holqien
U l-innocenza.
Aktar ma tisbel
U tissielet mal-muntanji tad-djamanti
U taghraf tilghab bi hjut is-shab
Tal-brimb ghall-wirt ta' Guda,
Aktar se ssibni
Bit-tbissima trangat wara dellek,
Nonfoh il-bziezaq tal-kuluri
U nhares lejk nistenna mqar
Tnehida
Li tkessah il-vini,
Tnixxef id-demm
U trattab qalbek,
Qalb mimlija rmied
Li nharaq f'Auschwitz.

----------------------


DNUB MA JORQODX

Ghad johorgu ghalik,
Jibilghuk
U jgorruk
l-erwieh mikduda ta' l-imghoddi.
F'difrejhom jahkmuk
U jimlewk bit-ticpis
Tad-dnub
Li dawwart m'ghonqok
Meta b'sahhtek kont
Sabiex tisfida.
Ghad jigu ghalik
Minn kullimkien
Sabiex jisquk il-gulepp
Li jizzerzaq bejn id-dwiefer
Suwed tas-saqajn
Ghaggiela.
U fin-nifs kiebi taghhom
Terga' dduq il-benna
Bil-maqlub.
U meta rasek 'l isfel
Thoss id-demm jitlembet f'gismek
Ftakar
Wahda
Fija.

--------------------


XEMGHA 99
		
Ersaq lejja
U ‘tini jdejk.
Harstek fuqi,
Shan xufftejk.

Miss idejja,
Tistaqsinix
Ghala keshu,
Tithassarnix.

Ibqa’ hdejja,
Titlaqnix.
Waqghet dalma,
Thallinix.

F’imnifsejja
Ghadha l-fwieha
Ta’ l-imghoddi
Tghanni shiha.

Fuq riglejja
Intasabt,
Ghax m’hawnx hniena,
Ghalxejn tlabt.

Ma’ haddejja
Shuna d-demgha;
Qieghda tnemnem
Tieghi x-xemgha.

--------------------------


QCACET

Tela’ l-gholja tal-hgieg
U xappap wiccu bl-odju
Fost l-ilfiq tal-kummidjanti
U x-xeghir tan-nisa tqal
Misluta
Mixhuta
Mikduda
Fl-ghabra tlellex ta’ bil-lejl
Qisha sunetti
U borra fuq is-saqaf tal-karozzi
U fil-fondoq tac-cumnija twila
U sewda
Wieqfa
Soda,
Phallus ta’ l-irham.
			
U nizel bilgri fiz-zurzieqa
Mxarrba
U beka malli sema’ kollox.
Sab habel twil
U ddendel minnu
Bhal miblugh
Li la jaf b’ruh
U, issa, lanqas b’gisem.


-----------------------------


DRAGUN

Bin-nar go halqek
U ghajnejk imberrqa
Bhal dragun
Qed tigri wrajja.
Nifsi maqtugh
U l-lanza mkissra,
Izda x’imkien
L-irdum jghajtilna,
jien nieqaf fix-xifer
u inti tibqa’ tlebbet ‘l isfel
go l-abbiss.


------------------------------


KOSOVO

				Lil min se naqbad nemmen
-- dawk l-ucuh mikduda?
-- dawk l-ulied mahsuda?
-- dawk ix-xjuh minfuda?

Fejn se mmur
-- inhaffer l-oqbra mbajda?
-- nidhol f’ta’ l-erwieh is-sajda?
-- intella’ bandiera bajda?

Ghaliex
-- inhossni bhalhom agunija?
-- bid-djieq u l-ghaks go fija?
-- u qalbi mistohbija?

Tghid min
-- jaf fejn hija l-verita’?
-- ta’ din l-assurdita’?
-- li tghix kuljum l-umanita’?


-------------------------------


	
LINDA MXAJTNA

	Linda ta’ Luretu
	Marret timxi fil-widien tal-lut
	U sabet l-erwieh jizfnu
	Zifna sahharija
	Qalb id-demm maghqud
	U n-nar jitliegheb
	F’nofs il-hakma ta’ l-imhuh
	U d-dawl bla dija.
	Linda temmet
	Dik il-mawra
	Fis-swidija
	U bkew ghajnejn l-erwieh,
	U xerrdu x-xmajjar
	Homor,
	Nixfu l-grieh’artificjali
	U tkebbu wahda fl-ohra,
	Wiehed fl-iehor
	Bhal orgja illi baqghet
	Kristalizzata.


--------------------------------

E-mail to Charles Flores at: cflores@vol.net.mt
See entry for Charles Flores in: WHO'S WHO

Return to Main Page