Anne Pennington
July 6, 2023To A Familiar Genius Flying By
July 6, 2023A Conceited Mistake
Once upon a time there was a mistake
So silly so small
That no one would even have noticed it
It couldn’t bear
To see itself to hear of itself
It invented all manner of things
Just to prove
that it didn’t really exist
It invented space
To put its proofs in
And time to keep its proofs
And the world to see its proofs
All it invented
Was not so silly
Nor so small
But was of course mistaken
Could it have been otherwise
Vasko Popa
Vasko Popa (1922-1991) was a Serbian poet associated with the Yugoslav Surrealist movement. Popa's poetry often dealt with themes of death, rebirth, and the supernatural. His work was deeply influenced by Serbian folklore and mythology. Popa was also a translator, and he introduced Serbian readers to the work of many foreign poets, including T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and Dylan Thomas. He is considered one of the most important Serbian poets of the 20th century.