Different, Prettier
Whenever I sense
your infidelity
I go to the
mirror
And comb my hair
differently, prettier.
I outline my
lips with a flesh-colored pencil
And wet them
with gloss,
To see how big
and juicy they can be.
Then I pretend I
am different, more resolute and strong.
I get ready for
the life after you, every time
I sense your
infidelity.
Drugačije, ljepše
Odlazim pred ogledalo
I začešljam kosu drugačije, ljepše.
I navlažim ih Labelom,
Da vidim koliko velike i sočne mogu biti.
Onda se pravim drugačija, odlučnija i jača.
Pripremam se za život poslije tebe svaki put
Kad slutim tvoju nevjeru.
Translated from Croatian by Jana Vasilj-Begovic
Karmela Špoljarić
Born
in 1967 in Zagreb. Graduated
from the School of Aplied Arts and Design. Graduated
from the School of Philology, Major for
Croatian Studies and Southern Slavic Philology, Zagreb. Completed
post-graduate studies in literature. Writes
literary fiction and plays. Publishes short stories on radio and in literary
journals. Received
the "Marin Držić“ award from the Croatian Ministry of Culture for her
young adult play, "Zero Kunas per Minute" (2011). In
May 2013, she published her novel "This Is Not Twin Peaks“, for which she
received the "Slavić" award from the Association of Croatian Writers
(2014). In
November 2013, she published a collection of short stories under the title,
"Be Careful What You Wish For", and in September 2014 her second
novel "Major Tom". Both
novels were short-listed by the Ministry of Culture for the best works of
fiction list for 2013 and 2014 and given a special monetary award.In
addition to writing, the writer leads and develops various author projects,
such as the distance creative writing
workshop, "How to Start" and "Fairytale-ing" –a travelling
workshop of fairytale writing.She
also developed the concept behind the "Story Exhibition", a Croatian
travelling textual-visual project.
Tags:
Poetry