Between My Wings It’s, Oh, So Empty
And towards me you walk, your dervish feet so small
of blood and fragile bones.
And towards me you come, thorns
wounding every breath,
and memories of late abortions, wicked guests
and fractures you follow, starved –
just crumbs for all those tender beasts
behind your eyes.
You’re coming back,
you’re coming back to me,
yet probably too early
and there’s no chance you’ll recognize me.
From now until the end of time,
I’ll sing this song – so listen, listen:
between my wings it’s, oh, so empty.
between my wings it’s, oh, so empty.
And so it is because I’m waiting sickly,
right here, in the driest land
to plant your deathless name,
and raise you on my shoulders
for the first time,
and wait for you to whisper:
“Daddy,
I am sleepy.”
NINKO KIRILOV is the author of books of prose, poetry and drama: Doubles and Animals (2013), Human Among People (2017), Three Plays (2018), Rawer (2019), Falling Forever (2021), Other Holes Too (2022), Orange (2023) and The Sun, The Heart (2025). Works of his have been published in newspapers, magazines, online editions, poetry and prose collections, almanacs and anthologies. He has won several awards for poetry and short prose. His texts have been translated into English, Italian, Spanish, German, Polish, Serbian, Greek and Montenegrin. Rawer was published in India by Taj Mahal Review (2022) and Orange / Naranja – in bilingual edition in Bulgarian and Spanish by La Tortuga Bulgara (2025).
Read more by Ninko Kirilov
Poems in Modern Literature
Poems in Lothlorien Poetry Journal
Poems in Bulgata