my little grandmother
knows no pain
she believes that
hunger—is food
nakedness—is a wealth
thirst—is water
her body like a vine wraps itself around her walking stick
her hair is bee's wings
she swallows the sun-speckles of pills
she calls Internet the telephone to America
her heart has has turned into a a rose—all you can do
is smell it
pressing yourself into her breasts
otherwise it's no good
it's a rose
her arms like stork's legs
red sticks
and I'm on my knees
and I howl as a wolf
at the white full moon of your skull
grandmother
I am saying: this is not pain
just the embrace of a very strong god
one with an unshaven cheek that scratches when he kisses you
—Translated from Belarusian by Katie Farris and Ilya Kaminsky
About Valzhyna Mort
Valzhyna Mort was born in Minsk, Belarus (former Soviet Union), in 1981, and moved to the United States in 2005. She published her first book of poetry, I’m as Thin as Your Eyelashes, in Belarus. In 2008, Copper Canyon Press published her debut American collection as a bilingual edition called Factory of Tears. Her latest book, Collected Body, is forthcoming from Copper Canyon.
Recent Blog Entries
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As our readers realize, we underwent a staff transition at VQR over the past two years and at times had only one employee, Ted Genoways, selecting and editing the magazine’s content. Thus, it is remarkable that VQR received three National Magazine Awards nominations this year, including one for general excellence. Today we announce Ted’s resignation [...]
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The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) today honored the Virginia Quarterly Review with three nominations for its prestigious National Magazine Awards—the magazine world’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prizes. VQR, edited by Ted Genoways, was named as a finalist in three categories: General Excellence, Fiction, and Photography. With three nominations, VQR was among a select [...]
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As publisher of the Virginia Quarterly Review, it’s my pleasure to announce the appointment of Jane Friedman as Web Editor. Friedman, the former publisher and editorial director of Writer’s Digest, will join our staff in June to develop online and digital content and a larger social media presence for VQR. I had the pleasure of [...]
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