Tell me, did you touch these palm trees, Dad?
Did you look at the immense field of lilies?
Did you stop for an instant with the camera
in your hand to stare at the slice of sea that
appears in the space between the buildings?
Did you think of me in that instant, just as
you are now my fixed thought? Did you
marvel at the peace of the green trees? Did
you try to decipher at dawn the rustling of
leaves?
I gather fallen leaves from the ground and
hold flower petals in my hands. They are
the few and rare memories left from your
walks then.
Irma Kurti is a poet, writer, lyricist, journalist, and translator. She is a naturalized Italian and lives in Bergamo, Italy. Kurti has published 119 works, including books of poetry, fiction, and translations. Her poetry has been translated into 40 languages.