swifts  &  s l o w s · a quarterly of crisscrossings

suddenly a green light
Matija Pavicevic

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Silence

I
Elementary particles;
a love that keeps quiet —
the equivalent of death.
Neurotic and shy;
floating astronauts.

II
He leaves in silence,
she stays – all alone
life sits right next to her
and mutely observes.

III
sex is everything
and
everywhere

VI
yet she sits still
– on their bench –
with a cigarette dangling
on her lips,
comfortably numb.

V
so that was how they died;
in the silence they could hear.

Tišina

I
Elementarne čestice;
lenja ljubav koja ćuti –
ekvivalent smrti.
Neurotični i stidljivi;
plutajući astronauti.

II
U tišini ustaje i odlazi
a ona ostaje sama
dok život sedi tik pored
i nemo posmatra.

III
seks je
sve i svuda
oko nje

IV
ipak ostaje da sedi
– na njihovoj klupici –
s cigaretom u ustima,
udobno utrnuvši.

V
Dakle, tako nekako su i umrli;
u tišini koju su mogli čuti.

Unpredictable Forces

Unpredictable forces,
of an explosive nature
our debt to the sun – unsettled.
aborted dreams, a hungover morning
the asphalt boiling
suddenly a green light
her eyes – inside of them
a whole universe,
one look, a fatal smile
the Big Bang.
the heart beats for as long as it can
ultimately it will stop,
meanwhile tirelessly
love.
unpredictable forces,
of an explosive nature,
debt to the sun – settled.

Nepredvidljive Sile

Nepredvidljve sile,
eksplozivne prirode
dug suncu – neisplaćen.
abortirani snovi, mamurno jutro
vruć asfalt
pa zeleno svetlo
njene oči – u njima vaseljena
jedan pogled, pogubni osmeh
veliki prasak.
srce kuca dokle god može
kad-tad će stati
u međuvremenu neumorno
voleti.
Nepredvidljive sile,
eksplozivne prirode,
dug suncu – isplaćen.

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Matija Pavicevic is from Belgrade, Serbia. He has published two novels thus far in Serbia and Montenegro titled Jutarnji Bluz (The Morning Blues), 2019 and Blede Plave Oci (Pale Blue Eyes) 2021. Most recently Pavicevic has completed an MA in Literature and Culture at the University of Hertfordshire.