by Kristina Krumova

with it you can
write a poem on my belly
and if you don’t like it you can wipe it off with your hand
with a dress
a sheet
or you can leave it to drip down slowly
until the words lose their meaning
You can leave it to dry up there
and you can make me read it
in front of an audience
A banal provocation that
fills my being with joy
Even the thought of this act is
the very essence of happiness
The flavor is worthy of respect and delight
even for the most delicate palate
The important thing is to leave it completely
to spill all over it
to fill up your throat without you swallowing it,
just to keep it as strong as possible
as long as possible
You can often distinguish a hint of raspberry
honey
coconut
Even frozen
it continues to be
Life-giving
LIFE-GIVING, even
scattered on dry grass
With it you can bring back
even the last breath lost in the stars
of my fragile, wet body
I live
through
for
in
banal provocations.

Kristina Krumova

Kristina Krumova is 29 years old and she lives in Sofia, Bulgaria. She has a Master’s Degree in “Contemporary History” from Sofia University and she was an Editor at New Social Poetry Magazine, (Bulgaria). Her work was published in North of Oxford, Ann Arbor Review, The Pangolin Review, Rusty Truck, The Conclusion Magazine, Oddball Magazine and The Mad Swirl. Kristina Krumova works as a freelance editor and she’s preparing her first poetry manuscript.

Artist: IG @silenttthings