Alena Riedlová Slepičková

(trans. from Czech by the author and Matthew Sweney)

On the Wild Beach

There is no

bigger connection with the Universe

Honey

says your wet mouth

full of shapes of my body

and my awakened soul

and I trust you

                  every word

                           of  our dreaming

                                Sacred source

                                for ever

                                   amen

(Drowsiness  in  Pale Blue)

****

I´ve climbed up into your arms

my legs firmly embrace your hips

and you take me very slowly

the richest of men

the king of the Earth

below the spring hymn of the universe

             weaved tailor-made

in the falls of my hair

fountain of joy

on the early flowers carpet

in the midst of the woods

(Drowsiness in Pale Blue)

OOXX

I would open the string

of my legs

and you would eagerly

taste of all

                 the deepest

                      sips

of the fountain of our phantasies

bury your fingers

                           into

                                 its shores

and with gentle barbarity

your tongue would

caress its hot levels

And through our bodies

                             stringless bows

a secret cry upwards

                                would escape

message of the universe in us

(African Drums of Love)

                                                               

Bali                                                     

                                                               

I  sent you

my “Elsker dig”

and you got it

on a faraway island in the Pacific

where intently you watched

Kecak dance

in front of the temples

far from the rice paddies

mountains and tumble town villages:

There where I used to live

in the bright colours of endless summer

and happy ubiquitous dance

In a split second

you had me in your sights

and in the blazing sun

our bond embraced

caught fire and burned

all future bridges

(Drowsiness in Pale Blue)

*****

In your face

I found

the last rays of sun-

light over red sand

under eucalyptus trees

uncomfortable humidity

by the wild ocean

at dawn

looking faraway

like you were at play

with the idea

that beyond the horizon

like after death

there's nothing.

(Drowsiness in Pale Blue)

Message

I'm sending a piece of Indian Summer

quick touch of the hand

into the autumn slumber

two oceans between lands

and innumerable seas

at the same moment

guests inebriated

fulfilled

elated

(Until Our Dreams Separate Us)

ALENA RIEDLOVÁ SLEPIČKOVÁ

Has published four books of poetry in the Czech Republic: Africké bubínky lásky/ African Drums of Love (Brno: Host, 2000); Bleděmodré usínání/ Drowsiness in Pale Blue (Brno: Větrné mlýny, 2001); and Dokud nás sny nerozdělí/Until Our Dreams Separate Us (Brno: Větrné mlýny, 2004).   Her fourth book of poetry, Něžná lavina/ Tender Avalanche, was published in 2009 (Brno: Čintámani).

She writes mostly in Czech and her poems have been translated into 5 languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish and German.

She is also the co-founder of the "free poetry group" BRNO-PRAGUE, has published many poems in literary magazines in the Czech Republic and Australia, as well as given poetry readings in both of these countries, also the USA.  Also, she has translated a volume of poetry by the Czech writer Pavel Sobek into English (to be published).

Alena Riedlová Slepičková is a member of Obec spisovatelů (Society of Czech Writers) and a member of the Czech and Slovak Association for American Studies, and has taught American and Australian literature, as well as Creative Writing seminars, at Masaryk University (Brno, CZ.) and at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

The poems she is submitting were translated by the author herself and Matthew Sweney, who teaches in the Philosophical Faculty at Palacký University (Olomouc, CZ). 

Her loves: the ocean and salsa dancing