Lena Ruth Stefanovic is a poetess and literary translator from Montenegro.
Published writings includes a collection of essays, several novelettes, four collections of poetry, as well as novels -The Daughter Of The Childless One [2017] and Aimèe [2020]. She’s included in numerous poetry and prose anthologies, among them: Anthology of Contemporary Montenegrin literature in English language [Katedrala, 2010] ; First Anthology of Montenegrin poetry written by women: Koret on the Asphalt [Zagreb, 2013]; Best European Fiction 2014 [ Dalkey Archive Press, USA]; Poetesses of Montenegro 1970-2015 [Ratkovićeve večeri poezije]; Montenegrin Poetesses [OKF, Cetinje, 2019]; Mysterious Montenegro [Penn State, USA, 2020].
stalked by chronological narration
chased by master plots
haunted by the usual suspects
the characters of high brow prose
damsels in distress
and their cohorts
thorn apart by the cruel world
due sacrifices of the righteous people
of whom nothing less is expected
ever since the opening sentence
I run away from metamorphs,
barewolfs
and their maturation
from predictable fables of
strong lions’ and cunning foxes’
irreversible transformations
bypassing allegories and metaphors
I hide
from conventional morals of the story
in the variable curses
of magical conversing
in unevenly rhymed verses
One Day in Pest
I would have fallen in love
given the time
given the opportunity
given some other reality
undivided
unclouded
given a reality
in which all would be free
to do
to be
in such an unreal reality
i would have certainly had
fallen in love with you
madly
I need a break from words
A day away
From syllables and
Diphtongs gliding up my throat
I need a break from soft Russian consonants
And hissing Montenegrin sh
I am tired of spelling and checking
Jaded of synonyms and antonyms,
Irked by euphemisms
Drained by equivalents
Bugged by oxymorons
Tired of all the talking
Chatting , bubbling,
Fed up with uttering
I need a pause
On verbal cluttering
Translated to English by the author
