Way of the World

The trees were pretty
so of course they had to be cut down…

Does anything beautiful stand a chance?
I was young and happy once

So of course I had to be cut down
Because that’s just the way it goes

I’m not as happy as I used to be
Just because I am older and wiser

Back then I didn’t know I’d end up like this
I had so much hope and joy

it felt like being on top of the world
This feels closer to the bottom

Ordinary is the best I can do
Ordinary is the best the world can do

The world cannot support beauty
The young lose their joy when they grow up

The world cannot support what’s special
That’s why what’s special is so rare

The excellent must be made average
The great must be reduced to good

Nothing reaches its full potential
Only a small fraction of what’s possible can be realized

The trees were pretty
So of course they had to be cut down!

Nothing beautiful stands a chance
Not for long, not for ever

Decay is the way of the world
Unfairness and injustice are the norm

That’s what upsets me most
I hate it when that happens

And it’s happened to me and you
And there ain’t nothing we can do about it

Except to reflect and to write

Menyra e Botes (Albanian)

Pemët ishin të bukura
kështu që sigurisht që ata duhej të shkurtoheshin…

A ka ndonjë shans ndonjë gjë të bukur?
Dikur isha i ri dhe i lumtur

Pra, sigurisht që më duhej të shkurtohesha
Sepse kështu shkon

Nuk jam aq i lumtur sa dikur
Vetëm sepse jam më i vjetër dhe më i mençur

Atëherë nuk e dija se do të përfundoja kështu
Kisha shumë shpresë dhe gëzim

më dukej sikur isha në krye të botës
Kjo ndjehet më afër në fund

Ordinere është më e mira që mund të bëj
Ordinere është më e mira që bota mund të bëjë

Bota nuk mund ta mbështesë bukurinë
Të rinjtë e humbasin gëzimin kur rriten

Bota nuk mund të mbështesë atë që është e veçantë
Kjo është arsyeja pse ajo që është e veçantë është kaq e rrallë

E shkëlqyera duhet të bëhet mesatare
E madhja duhet të reduktohet në të vogel

Asgjë nuk e arrin potencialin e saj të plotë
Vetëm një pjesë e vogël e asaj që është e mundur mund të realizohet

Pemët ishin të bukura
Pra, sigurisht që ata duhej të shkurtoheshin!

Asgjë e bukur nuk ka shans
Jo për shumë kohë, jo përgjithmonë

Prishja është rruga e botës
Padrejtësia dhe padrejtësia janë normë

Kjo është ajo që më mërzit më shumë
E urrej kur kjo ndodh

Dhe mua dhe ty më ka ndodhur
Dhe nuk mund të bëjmë asgjë për këtë

Veç për të reflektuar e për të shkruar
Fund

A Visit from Santa

It was that night of the year,
The biggest one of them all,
For jolly ole St Nick to spread cheer
To children big and small.

He thanked his elves for the toys
And carried them in a large sack,
He gave a hearty goodbye to Mrs. Clause,
And jumped on the sleigh with the toys on his back.

Santa guided his sleigh by the stars
As the reindeer flew through the skies,
His mission was to reach every child’s house
By Christmas morning sunlight.

The first few houses were a slow go,
For this year there fell great snow,
And Santa was feeling a bit rusty and old
And Dancer and Blitzen were feeling sleepy and cold.

Down the chimney Santa slid
Beneath the lighted tree, he placed the toys
For all the little girls and boys
Then he ate his cookies and milk

Santa then tugged the long rope
And the reindeer pulled him back up
And on it was to the next roof top,
Santa year after year never did fail

But this year something went wrong
He slid down the chimney of a small house
And as his body hit brick after brick
the chimney was not wide enough!

Oh Lord, said Santa. I’m stuck
The reindeer did try to help him back up
But it did no good
Santa was stuck

From now on I must use the front door, thought he
But it was too late, up a chimney was he
Now Santa thought of his plump belly
He blamed Mrs. Clause for cooking too good

He blamed himself for having too much food
Most of all he thought of the children big and small
The boys and girls who counted on him
To give presents and joy to one and to all

What if he could not make it this year?
What if he failed?
There would be no Christmas
Santa tugged on the rope and shouted

Move it Rudolf, Dasher and Dancer!
Go forward Prancer and Vixen!
Getty up Comet, getty up Cupid!
Go Donner and Blitzen!

An hour later Santa was in pain
When he heard a child’s voice cry out, Santa! Is that you?
Hi there, little Billy, said Santa, knowing every child by name
Is mommy or daddy home?

To chimney came mother and father
Though worried, they had great curiosity and wonder
for they had stopped believing in Santa so long ago
And now in adulthood, were they to be proved wrong?

Santa, is that really you? asked the father
Hi there Tommy and Amy, said Santa, I remember you as kids,
Tommy, you were naughty but Amy you were so nice
Now I have a Christmas wish for you; please help me out!

Mother called the brave firefighters
They rescued poor Santa with wonder in their eyes
Santa gave a thank you gift to all
And gave Billy his wonderful toy surprise

Santa then climbed his sleigh up on the roof top
Folks, I’d love to stay, shouted he,
But I must spread cheer to children big and small
Good night and Merry Christmas to all!

Vizita e Santes

Ishte ajo natë e vitit,
Më e madha nga të gjithë,
Që Shen Niku babaxhan të përhapë gëzim
Për fëmijët e mëdhenj dhe të vegjël.

Ai falënderoi punonjesit e tij për lodrat
Dhe i mbajti në një thes të madh,
Ai i dha një lamtumirë të përzemërt zonjës Klause,
Dhe u hodh në sajë me lodrat në kuriz.

Santa e drejtoi sajën e tij nga yjet
Ndërsa dreret fluturonin nëpër qiej,
Misioni i tij ishte të arrinte në shtëpinë e çdo fëmije
Para rrezet e diellit në mëngjesin e Krishtlindjeve.

Shtëpitë e para ecnin ngadalë,
Se këtë vit ra borë e dendur dhe e madhe,
Dhe Santa po ndihej pak i ndryshkur dhe i vjetër
Dhe Dancer dhe Blitzen po ndiheshin të përgjumur dhe të ftohtë.

Poshtë oxhaku Santa rrëshqiti
Poshtë pemës së ndezur vendosi lodrat
Për të gjitha vajzat dhe djemtë e vegjël
Më pas ai hëngri biskotat dhe qumështin që prindërit i linin shpesh

Santa më pas tërhoqi litarin e gjatë
Dhe dreret e tërhoqen përsëri lart
Dhe kaperxente në majë të çatisë tjetër,
Santa vit pas viti nuk dështoi kurrë

Por këtë vit diçka shkoi keq
Rrëshqiti nga oxhaku i një shtëpie të vogël
Dhe ndërsa trupi i tij godiste tullë pas tulle
oxhaku nuk ishte mjaft i gjerë!

O Zot, tha Santa. unë jam i mbërthyer
Dreri u përpoq ta ndihmonte të ngrihej
Por nuk mundi
Santa ishte mbërthyer

Që tani e tutje duhet të përdor derën e përparme, mendoi ai
Por ishte tepër vonë, ai ishte lart në oxhak
Tani Santa mendoi për barkun e tij të shëndoshë
Ai fajësoi zonjën Clause se gatuan shumë mirë

Ai fajësoi veten për ushqimin e tepërt
Mbi të gjitha mendonte për fëmijët e mëdhenj e të vegjël
Djemtë dhe vajzat që shresonin tek ai
Për të dhënë dhurata dhe gëzim për një dhe për të gjithë

Po sikur të mos ia dilte këtë vit?
Po sikur të dështonte?
Nuk do të kishte Krishtlindje
Santa tërhoqi litarin dhe bërtiti

Lëvize Rudolf! Lëvize Dasher dhe Dancer!
Shkoni përpara Prancer dhe Vixen!
Jepi Comet! Hajde Cupid!
Shkoni Donner dhe Blitzen!

Një orë më vonë Santa kishte dhimbje
Kur dëgjoi zërin e një fëmije duke bërtitur, Santa! A je ti?
Përshëndetje, vogelush tha Santa,
A është mami apo babi në shtëpi?

Në oxhak erdhën nëna dhe babai
Ndonëse të shqetësuar, ata kishin kuriozitet dhe habi të madhe
sepse ata kishin pushuar së besuari te Santa shumë kohë më parë
Dhe tani në moshën madhore, a do të vërtetohej se kishin gabuar?

Santa, a je vërtet ti? pyeti babai
Përshëndetje, nena dhe baba i vogelushit, u mbaj mend si fëmijë, tha Santa

Baba, ti ishe cik mistrec por nena ti ishe si engjell
Tani kam një urim për ju; ju lutem me ndihmoni!

Nëna thirri zjarrfikësit trima
Ata shpëtuan Santa të shkret me habi në sytë e tyre
Santa u dha të gjithëve një dhuratë falënderimi
Dhe i dha vogelushit surprizën e tij të mrekullueshme lodër

Santa më pas u ngjit me sajën e tij në majë të çatisë
Njerëz, do të doja të qëndroja, bërtiti ai,
Por unë duhet të shpërndaj gëzim tek fëmijët e mëdhenj dhe të vegjël
Natën e mirë dhe Gëzuar Krishtlindjet për të gjithë!

The fall of love

I want to travel back in time
to the best time of my life
I want to travel back in time
to the time I was young and in love

winds clearing branches of their leaves
The yellow, the red, the brown leaves
Temperatures falling,
A sign that fall again is here

it has come around again,
Just as it did when I was young and naive
It caught me by surprise and off my guard
And before I knew it, I fell hard

Fall would be the season I would fall in love
It was a regular, ordinary day like any other
Made the most significant day of my entire life
I remember the time, the place, the earth-shattering revelation

I could tell you the time, the place, the girl
But then again, why?
It was so long ago, why should I even care?
It may as well be forgotten

I should just forget it!
She is a married woman now
She lives in the same town
I could run into her at the market, or the park with her kids

But I never have, in over 20 falls
I remember it like it was yesterday.
But it does me no good to remember
the dream that was not to be

I want to travel back in time
to the best fall of my life!
i want to travel back in time
to the fall I would fall in love!

I hate love!
No, just because your heart was broken
It doesn’t mean love is evil
I hate love!

No, don’t say so
You must not say so
I will, I will say it…
Of all I have ever felt, love is the best!

Morning tea

I walk downstairs outside
close large door behind me
Stand in front of building,
Sip my mug of tea and look ahead,

I knew the weather would be bad
All alone, dark skies up above
So unfriendly to my mood
I force my self to stay out

That’s where all the people are
Two neighbors and a repairman
At pharmacy drive through I see a car,
Turns on lights, as if to acknowledge me

I seek discomfort
Just gazing out into the distance
Sipping tea, all alone, in public
I give up and walk towards side of building

More privacy here
I sit on patio chair
Beneath gray and gloomy skies
Must pick cherry tomatoes, back of building

Arms moving, clearing branches
all thoughts lost in work
Get this, get that,
Neither happy nor sad

Side of building, patio chair,
I sit down again
Cherry tomatoes on window pane
I look out into space

Dark skies seem less hostile
I could sit here all day,
I turn head to street, neighbors gone.
Repairman now talking to repair woman

Not a soul in front.
Ominous gray clouds above,
Feels like a storm
Looking, only looking

People don’t like to meditate
it’s hard to be alone with your thoughts
Doing nothing, just being
The mind needs occcupation

I hope nobody catches me doing nothing,
That would ruin it
I give up, and walk upstairs.
Why did I have to come inside?

Good thing nobody caught me alone with my thoughts
That would drive them away
People don’t like to see others alone with their thoughts
When in public one can’t be alone with his thoughts

Was I even thinking?
I was not thinking… I was feeling.
Good thing nobody caught me alone with my feelings
That would drive them away

Looking out living room window at gray skies
What did Shakespeare say?
Skies like these do not clear up without a storm
But it stormed here last night… the end

A cloudy morning

A sagging sky,
It’s so ugly, it’s beautiful.

I was happy once
Ah, to be young and in love…

A dreary wet morning,
Tea alone on a lounge chair

A thunderstorm last night
An open window, a thunderstrike

So loud, so near, so terrible!
That it’s beautiful

The windows left open
Rainwater gushes in.

Ah, to be young and in love…
O what beautiful dark days of youth.

I was happy once,
I was sad at once

This? What is this?
A sagging sky, so dark, so ugly,

That it’s beautiful?
This is nothing!

Lonely. I must write!
The End

Nje Mengjes me Re (Albanian)

Një qiell i varur,
Është aq i shëmtuar, sa është i bukur.

Një herë isha i lumtur
Ah, të jesh i ri dhe ne dashuri

Një mëngjes i zymtë i lagësht,
Pi caj jashte, i vetëm në një karrike të varur

Një stuhi mbrëmë
Një dritare e hapur, një bubullimë

Kaq me zë të lartë, kaq afër, kaq e tmerrshme!
Se është e bukur.

Dritaret u lanë të hapura
Uji i shiut derdhet brenda.

Ah, të jesh i ri dhe i dashuruar
Ditë të bukura të errëta.

Një herë isha i lumtur,
Dhe ne te njejten here i merzitur.

Kjo? Çfarë është kjo?
Një qiell i varur, aq i errët, aq i shëmtuar,

Sa eshte i bukur?
Kjo nuk është asgjë!

I vetmuar. Duhet të shkruaj!
Fund

I Choose

What I have is what I want.
What I hope for I will probably get.
What I did not get I probably did not deserve.
Where I go I will like and what I do is up to me.

I have seen the dark side of life,
And I could cry over it.
But I choose not to,
And maybe life is not so bad after all.

(written in 2013)

***

(Albanian)

Zgjedh

Ate qe kam eshte ajo qe dua.
Ate qe shpresoj ndoshta do ta kem.
Ate qe nuk pata ndoshta nuk e meritoja.
Atje ku do shkoj do ta pelqej.
Cfare do bej varet nga mua.

Kam pare anen e erret te jetes,
dhe mund te qaj mbi kete.
Por zgjedh te mos,
Ndoshta jeta nuk eshte aq e keqe —
me ne fund.

That Picture of Me

(Albanian/Shqip)

That picture of me,
With those eyes that could see,
And that face that could smile,
And that soul that could feel!

Such potential energy!
But now that you are
Who you were to be,
Have you fulfilled your destiny?

How could one fulfill such a high destiny?
The potential is always higher than reality.

That picture of me,
With those eyes that could see,
And that face that could smile,
With that soul that could feel!

Life itself was o’ so real!

But now that I am
Who I was to be,
Have I become the man foretold in that picture of me,
Or did I turn out someone else entirely?

So many events that have shaped me,
Memories imprinted on my life story.
I have lived in so many lives
And have seen so many eras come and go.

Is this my final reality?
Is this the end?
Or could there be more destiny
Left in store for me?

Who knows? I am only thirty-three,
No longer young, no longer indestructible,
But i still have enough energy
To wield the forces of my reality.

That picture of me,
With those eyes that could see,
And that face that could smile,
With that soul that could feel!

That was me, an ordinary boy
From an ordinary street,
In an ordinary town
In an ordinary life.

Did I become famous?
Did I become rich?
Did I become important?
Far from it…

I became an ordinary man,
From an ordinary street,
In an ordinary town,
In an ordinary life.

The future then I could see,
The dream’s always more beautiful than reality!

Age of wonder,
Age of storms, age of thunder,
Idealism was in season,
Love was in the air.

Now the skies are sunny,
Middle age is here,
Age of reason,
Peace and calmness are in season.

You’ve already made it,
This is it,
This is the life that is meant to be,
And you’ve got to love it!

 

America

A German named America,

But he named it after an Italian,

Yet this all happened in France,

But America was discovered by Spain,

And the most astonishing fact is that

In America we speak English.

 

Today, we have people here from all over the world,

And the whole world looks to us.

A big nation in a big land in the west,

It’s great and all-encompassing,

But most importantly free

We call it America!

 

this poem is from my book Poems for a Good Occasion