Rita Petro, also known as Rita Filipi, is an Albanian poet. From 1980-1984 she has studied at the University of Tirana, for Albanian Language and Literature. From 1993-1994 she was
specialized at the University of Athens, for Philosophy and Greek Culture (Philosophical
School, Capodistrian University). Rita Her works have been translated and published in French, in German and in in Romanian.

THE SONG
OF THE CROWD

Honey Do you feel that we are down here Living on other people’s breath They call all of us People They can call us Crowds It does not matter Look at those over there They are doped Drugs do not kill Drugs make you sing They dream most beautifully They have given up hopes Ours are dead They sing “live” There is not enough room for the children over there And our frontiers kill them But no one can realise whether the prostitutes sing or cry There are barking dogs among us as well Probably the music will make them better Who knows? Honey

It is not so bad here because people still sing.

THE SONG OF THE
TRIBUNE

We all are down here And we are not alone God is so high above us that we cannot see Him Whereas the tribune is almost always empty Even when they appear They want to be listened to only Therefore we are a huge, dense, and orphan crowd We all sing carrying blown out candles The wind was strong and we have none to light them The tribune is empty Even when they come

They have not a single strip of match.

Translated by Ukë Buçpapaj