romanian peasants

ioana crăciunescu is a fairly young romanian poet who lives in paris and is better known as an actress. i learned about her while i was living in prague. it is practically impossible to find any information about her online because her poetry was rarely taken seriously and instead more attention was paid to her prized beauty. this is a poem of hers:

i was in a field of potatoes
peasants with hoes were tearing up
the sail of my ship

those constantly buzzing flies
were creating for me a world
of bones and skin...

i was in a field of potatoes
peasants were raking and gathering
into stacks the ropes and helm,
poop and prow of my ship,
i smelt of potatoes,
the shipwreck seemed
an error of always navigating by the stars...

red ants were running through my hair
thriftily
taking and carrying ot their ant hills
the wind and the frost, the taste and the scent,
the air, the salt of the sea...

i was in a field of potatoes
the peasants were mowing down the fixed masts.

some of her poems can be found in an anthology published by my poetry teacher from prague entitled "child of europe" and compiled by michael march.