OLJA SAVIČEVIĆ IVANČEVIĆ

(Croatia), born in 1974. She wrote three collections of poetry, some of the poems have been published in anthologies and translated into English, Czech and Slovak. Her collection of short stories Nasmijati psa (Making the Dog Laugh, 2006) won the prize of the newspaper Vijenac and the publishing house AGM for the best unpublished Croatian prose of the year. She lives in Split and sailes on a boat Morski čovik (Sea Man).

I have a beautiful daughter
today I am taking her to town in my convertible
to see the market
overhead the sky is ideal for a picnic
by the roadside
people with powerful jaws
are chewing gum
and putting their hats up in greeting

I have a beautiful little girl
I kneaded her out of pink flesh
out of my own vigour
at night when we sleep on the pillow
her golden hair 
gets entangled in my black hair
and by day we go down to the beach happily

today I am taking her to see the market im my convertible
for the first time
I will buy her anything she wants
colourful golden and useless things
just to hear her laughter
on our way back we will sing together
a song about a bird

I am telling you, I have the dearest daughter
I am driving slowly so that she could see
the world that I have put together for her
from the most dazzling cities
and the street that I used to tread
on my way down to the sea
for her I have made it endlessly long

Translated by Daniel Brcko