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Best Poems Written by David Robakidze

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Details | David Robakidze Poem

Gadouri

(Gado is the old name for Caucasus)
Translated by Viktoria Makatsaria

A black door opened,
A black man came out
In a black car.
A black fume appeared over it.
The man said:
‘Fume, where are you going?’
‘To the town of a skull,
To the low and high plants,
To the lung of a human’s child,
To the nerves and thoughts.’
The man took out a key,
Hit the black fume,
The fume tore off,
The black door closed,
The man went on foot.

A red door opened,
A red man came out
In a red car.
A red fume appeared over it.
The man said:
‘Fume, where are you going?’
‘To the town of a skull,
To the low and high plants,
To the lung of a human’s child,
To the nerves and thoughts.’
The man took out a key,
Hit the red fume,
The fume tore off,
The red door closed
The man went on foot.

A yellow door opened,
A yellow man came out
In a yellow car.
A red fume appeared over it.
The man said:
‘Fume, where are you going?’
‘To the town of a skull,
To the low and high plants,
To the lung of a human’s child,
To the nerves and thoughts.’
The man took out a key,
Hit the yellow fume,
The fume tore off,
The yellow door closed.
The man went on foot.

A white door opened,
A white man came out
In a white car.
A red fume appeared over it.
The man said:
‘Fume, where are you going?’
‘To the town of a skull,
To the low and high plants,
To the lung of a human’s child,
To the nerves and thoughts.’
The man took out a key,
Hit the white fume,
The fume tore off,
The white door closed,
The man went on foot.

A transparent door opened,
A transparent man came out
In a transparent car.
A transparent fume appeared over it.
The man said:
‘Fume, where are you going?’
‘To the town of a skull,
To the low and high plants,
To the lung of a human’s child,
To the nerves and thoughts.’
The man took out a key,
Hit the transparent fume,
The fume tore off,
The transparent door closed,
The man went on foot.

A bread door opened,
A bread man came out
With  a basket of bread.
A bread track appeared over it.
The man said: ‘Stay at home!’
The track said: ‘Go!’
They went and met another man;
He came from the wine door
With a jug full of wisdom.
They sat down under the tree:
Changed with one another,
Went away,
Their wives and children are waiting at home.

Other men saw them
And said  they would come to this tree again,
Maybe they will also take us.
The tree heard and said:
‘Come, stand near to me.’
They went and stood near it.
The transparent climbed up,
The rest stayed below
Gather round, bound the tree.
The tree said: ‘Release me!’
The transparent answered:
‘Don’t release, stay there!’
The tree opened its leaves,
Looked up with the leaves in the sky,
The sky looked down with the stars,
The men got frightened and said:
 Let us break up, everybody,
We go home.

The transparent  dragon
Swallowed the transparent man’s entrails.
The white dragon
Had the white man for breakfast.
The yellow dragon
Had the yellow man for dinner.
The red dragon 
Had the red man for lunch.
The black dragon
Had the black man for supper.
They stayed there where they were. 
Avoid us there fate,
The temple saves this tree for us.

Copyright © David Robakidze | Year Posted 2013



Details | David Robakidze Poem

What Is a Man

What Is “A Man”? 

   A man is:
when you sculpt a piggy bank of clay giving it the shape of a man,
notching a slot where a rib should be.
   A man is:
when you sculpt a piggy bank of clay giving it the shape of a man
to bring to the market to sell.
   
A man is:
when you sculpt a piggy bank of clay giving it the shape of a man
to turn the heads of children carried in their parent’s arms.

   A man is:
when you sculpt a piggy bank of clay giving it the shape of a man
to return home barely wrapped after failing to sell.
   A man is:
when you sculpt a piggy bank of clay giving it the shape of a man
to bequeath to your children to break its belly when
coins reach the throat.

   A man is:
when you sculpt a piggy bank of clay giving it the shape of a man
without being able to explain how.

Copyright © David Robakidze | Year Posted 2011


Book: Reflection on the Important Things