Gos’pozho! Ne Go’vorya’ Balgarski! (Madame! I Don’t Speak Bulgarian!) Poem by Dónall Dempsey

I stand outside
your world

all voiced & unvoiced
consonants

(& yes I know voiced consonants can become voiceless
but only in certain positions.)

‘mislya...’pisha
(to think...to write)

It’s all Cyrillic
to me.

Only able to enjoy the shape of it!

б
There is an O
with a scarf billowing
over its right shoulder

that really is a b.

(Reminds me of Isadora Duncan driving to her death
her scarf getting caught in the wheel.)

A capital Ɓ that is a v
(Oh yeah? Yeah!)

A large З that looks like a pair of breasts
looking down from above from the side.

(And Lord save us
it’s...a z!)

An X that’s a h!
(I see...I see!)


Ф

An apple being cut in two
by a knife
once again
looking down from above

...that’s an f.

(Yes? Yes!)

Something that could be
a starburst
Ж
(zh...zh...zh)
Such a treasure!

Or a strong man
clasping two ladies by the waist
swooning to him in a tango
one on either side.

An Я
looking the wrong way

(Ya? Ya!)

И

Two capital I’s
hanging out together

with the I (i...i...i) on the right
with its hand on the left one’s bum

(naughty vowel...naughty vowel)


Й

And an other two I’s
up to the same shenanigans
but with half a halo over their heads
as if they only wanted to be half good!

Maybe one day
I’ll learn

A little Bulgarian
(dogo’dina... dogo’dina)
((next year...next year))

But right now
it’s all

pictures
to me

that dash across
my imagination.


Stra’hotna ‘roklya!

Iz’ghezhdash prek rasno!

(Fabulous dress!)

(You look great!)