11 minute read
editorial
editorial 3-4
Ana Smiljanic
Advertisement
Serbia
Making a pledge
It was summer and the heat burned her shoulders and melted her make-up, while the silky dress revealed her bronze thighs as she walked. She herself stared at her body curves and felt dizziness while walking. Anna Fonteg would soon pass a shop selling fine crystal vases, porcelain figures, silk tablecloths, and other wonders, of which some people’s hearts beat stronger. And, if the vase she liked was still in the shop window – so magnificent and tall –she imagined it in the hallway on her grandmother’s old rustic table with plenty of white roses…If the vase wasn’t sold, it would be theirs! And she wouldn’t stop loving, she wouldn’t stop giving herself and daydreaming of life in two. The beauty of the soul was reflected in a crystal glitter this time. She stood for almost a full minute, catching air, breathing in the splendor of the imagined space and smelling the intensive scent of hundreds of roses that she could not get out of her head. She nourished her eyes with beauty, invigorated her heart and accelerated her pace. She noticed the passersby’s gaze fixed on her and spoke to herself over and over again…Yes, I love! Don’t you get it?! I love! “I’m in the shop. I’ve just stopped to buy Bajadera sweets, and I will be home in half an hour.” – I’ve just texted her. Whenever she heard that CLICK, which meant a new text message, her body shuddered, her thoughts wandered away and she remembered the previous night and the deep breakthrough. The face of a woman in love was like an open shell. The pearly glow in the sclera revealed her heart secret. Could this love last while I was alive?! The CLICK followed, and this time I got a photo. Out of the open bag came a box in cellophane –that of the Bajadera sweets. I knew it! The mutual feeling of besottedness fascinated and amazed us at the same time; it lifted us to unprecedented heights and provoked laughter followed by gentle, long kisses whose strength made us feel exhausted. I’d never kissed like that. Anna’s kiss was special. And I didn’t expect it to be like that, but it was, it fell on my lips like a hurricane, like a tune, a bite of the lips that made you lose yourself in it and made your blood freeze. The kiss was like a tug, hundreds of tugs falling on the corners of my lips and then slowly prickling, followed by a gentle licking resembling a balm that healed the wound. When lust reached its peak, when it almost started to torment both body and soul, there was a period of those deep, real kisses that touched the palate and made me wonder whether her absorption into me excelled my penetration into her. Choking, yes, it was similar to choking. And I never stopped screaming with excitement in my head and checking whether our lips were warmer and wetter than the thing I was looking for with my hand under my navel. “It’s sharp five now. So the alarm would sound in an hour. I’m afraid I’m going to have a crazy day and that I’m going to fall asleep at
4
work again”, she said. “It’s only five. So we still have a lot of time. Besides, this is one of the first days in May. We still have an afternoon for Zemun and a walk by the river. We won’t be able to do this in front of the passersby. Do not complain. There’s no reason for it. Please.” The white nights of St. Petersburg experienced in an apartment, the white bed sheets instead of street lamps, the feelings riveted in the senses of two bodies and the simultaneous invocation of God or the devil, resembled a double stake in poker. In the moments of complete madness, I started to remind her how good we felt, by drawing her attention to the looks of the passersby directed at us or even by taking the lyrics I wrote to her and reading them aloud over and over again, only to leave them on the night table beside my headboard. The feeling of constant love hunger engulfed us like a furious wind that whooshed, pulled, tore us apart and threw us at each other in such a way that we were unable to breathe. The dreadful, indecipherably deep chasm we used to drag along with us was almost filled. I saw her tremble and I just said, “You’re eager.” I saw her crying and losing the ground beneath her feet the moment I mentioned that it was too late for one thing. It was too late to have kids. Upon hearing this, she opened her mouth, as a silent expression of pain, and a tear streamed down her cheek as she moaned heartbroken with the thought of her offspring being irretrievably lost, while her eyes gave out an expression of such a deep sorrow that it seemed as if someone had started to tear her hand off. At the time when it seemed the world’s end was approaching she smiled at me in a manner she did twenty years ago – there she was, unbreakable and loyal, repeating my name until she became overwhelmed with happiness and laughter, increasingly adamant to receive this summer’s gifts and flourishing nights. Although she fearfully climbed the steps of my soul every day, as if facing execution by shooting or waiting to be crowned, Anna decided to giveit a try, to believe, to give our relationship a chance. And I carried her from one room to another, kissing her body so carefully as if I sanctified the place and telling her that she was more beautiful than any woman I had met. In moments like these her happiness was so great that she could barely stand on her feet.
Sometimes I found her on the balcony, worried and thoughtful, staring at the linden tree outside the window. She could remain silent for a long period of time and enjoy the shade, as if she had some special sense of symbiosis with the nature reflected in her eyes. And the linden tree, the linden tree seemed to extend its branches towards her as if they were hands trying to reach her, and it seemed as if they together made a golden number. I believe she could have been an inspiration to a fantasist who could paint her or write a few chords in her glory. And it would happen during the summer rain. Since one could not imagine Anna without the rain and the wind. The rain as a symbol of the shadow resembling a barbell over her eyes and the wind as the pursuer of her restless spirit and the freedom she enjoyed. She did
not like injustice, she believed in prophetic powers of lightning and loved Tesla. One night, while we were sitting completely naked in a linden’s embrace, I asked her if she would ever cheat on me. She shook her head decisively and was out of breath for a moment before she could ask me the same question. I laughed and said to her, completely convinced in what I was saying, “How could you think of that? And who could I possibly want beside you?” It has been many years since then. My hair has already turned gray and I have made my first million. This was how I explained my reasons to her, as I recall. The event has fallen into oblivion. You ask if I loved her? Yes. I did. But time has inevitably done its part, it divided the memories into the good ones and the bad ones. And life went on like a waterfall - its water washed the stones as so many summers washed away the stormy clouds of her eyes and so many winters made the tingling sensations disappear from my skin. Anna had several loves after that. Her kisses were never the same again, but I knew they were not losing their strength. And all would have been long forgotten if it hadn’t been for the old linden tree watching old movies and persistently hitting my windows once and then at night. And me?! I, gray-haired and older, do not know now why I kept telling her stories of our living together, why I joked and made pledges…
event
We are excited to announce the launching of the Panorama International Literature Festival 2022, one of the signature programmes of Writers Capital International Foundation dedicated to humanity. The festival will feature thousands of writers from across the world who will present their works virtually. The works will be featured on various social media platforms and on the world wide web.
Apart from this, there will be symposiums, expert lecturing, cultural exchange, Panorama Golden Literature Awards and much more which will collectively make PILF a grand global festival for writers and
literary enthusiasts. Join usin this grand festival of literature! TO REGISTER VISIT: www.panoramafestival.org Team Writers Capital Foundation wcifcentral@gmail.com #pilf #literature #poetry #festival #PanFest2021 #pilf2021 #wcf #literaturelover
Translation: Milena Nikolić
5
6
January 1-January 30, 2022
ABOUT THE EVENT
The Writers Capital Foundation's signatureprogram, dedicated to spreading the powerful values of humanity through literature, Panorama International Literature Festival (PILF) is primarily intended to aid cultural exchange and enable writers to broaden the horizons of understanding the world. Unlike other literature festivals, PILF is conceived as literary sanctuaries where delegates have the unique opportunity to visit various places in the area where the festival takes place and have an in-depth experience of the place and the cultural liveliness that we believe they will help shape a writer's future. Due to the pandemic, the PILF 2022 is conducted in virtually most countries, however it is designed in such a way as to ensure a greater impact among participants. Also, this year will be a multilingual event, meaning poets will have the chance to recite their poems in their native language.
THEME
PILF is thematic, in which the topics are carefully chosen to prepare a writer for significant works in his profession. PILF 2022's theme is SHOONYA: The Celestial Void
SHOONYA: The Celestial Void
Sometimes we feel a sense of emptiness, perhaps looking at the clear morning sky, looking at a beautiful sunset or even when someone leaves us! We often recognize that this is the emptiness from which we come and to which we all return: the nothingness from which everything evolves! This has been a favorite topic of past poets and there are a number of classic works inspired by the same sense of emptiness that the writer experienced at some stage in their life. Poets must delve into the depths and
unravel the mysteries of creation itself, sharing their ideas and conclusions in the form of a poem that will convey their personal approach to this absolute mystery of the beginning of life. We invite you to meditate on the theme, compose a work for eternity and send us a video containing your introduction to the theme and your magnificent poem. The works will be presented on our social pages and will be available on the world wide web ensuring your visibility also in the future. A jury made up of eminent writers will evaluate your works and announce the grand
prizes at the closing ceremony of PILF 2022.
SPEAKERS
The event will be attended by eminent writers from all over the world, who will also include speakers who will lecture on the subject. Therefore, if you are a writer, you could write a speech on a related topic and read it as you record it.
AWARDS FROM THE PANORAMA D'ORO BOOK
Part of the Panorama festival is the opportunity given to writers from around the world to showcase their books and claim one of the awards that will guarantee them global prestige and recognition. If you have already published a book, in any language, please send it in PDF or e-book format for evaluation to: wcifcentral@gmail.com (Golden Book Awards).
REGISTRATION
Participants can fill out the online form available on the PILF official website www.panoramafestival.org and make a payment, securing their place in this great literary festival.
WHAT DO YOU GET?
● A great opportunity to participate in a globally recognized literary event. ● Feature your job presentation video on all our social media pages and ensure your presence on the world wide web ● Get a beautiful certificate of participation ● Receive a nomination for the prestigious 2022 Panorama Literary Awards ● Expand your horizons of knowledge by enriching your understanding of literature ● Meet intellectuals from around the world and exchange your ideas ● Receive notifications on various events conducted by Writers Capital Foundation around the world
FROM
Writers Capital Foundation is a nonprofit, non-political and non-religious international literary organization for writers and creators from around the world. The foundation's main goal is to bring writers and others who are in the field of creative expression under one umbrella to share their experiences, skills and to further inspire their caliber. We also aim to provide writers and artists with a great platform for their vivid expressions. The organization represents creative people around the world and is dedicated to promoting qualities that will ensure their overall development to help them create their footprint in the world. We believe it is our primary responsibility to take action for social causes and aim to strengthen values for humanity that would benefit the whole world.
