IRMA KURTI

In A Meadow Of Dreams 

I heard near and distant gunshots,
that tonight chased away the peace. 
In the fake silence surrounding me 
was heard only my heartbeat. 

The cry of a child followed them 
just like a sad and broken melody. 
Immersed in the dark of thoughts 
I hid the pain and anguish in a tear. 

Do not break that child’s sleep, 
life is a charming fairy tale for him, 
let him wander in a dream’s meadow, 
where only green and quietness drip.                                                                             

Soon the dawn will wipe off my tears 
and I’ll begin to dream as that child. 
My hopes are like confused clouds 
after the storm in a dark gloomy sky. 

Tonight, someone killed my sleep, 
my fatigued eyes fix on the horizon: 
The sky is an immense bloody shirt, 
little by little there the sun is rising. 

Inside A Snow Globe 


There’s a lot of suffering and despair 
that so often my delight and happiness 
don’t belong to me, live them heartily, 
treacherous and unjust at times they seem. 

There are so many tears, miseries, wars,
too much hatred and innocent blood, 
that a piece of daily serenity and peace 
I consider, surely, the greatest paradise.

Again, those assiduous battles of mine
that in me every day are born and die,
are really very tiny and insignificant 
in the face of wars that carry destruction. 

It’s not possible to live my own gladness 
as if sealed inside a large snow globe, 
when around, voices, the souls scream 
for a little bit of light, peace, and joy. 

An Insecure Place

The world has become an insecure
and fearful place at our every step.
We feel something, maybe anxiety,
in each journey, in every walk we take.

Dreams and games are interrupted,
loud shouts of innocent people are 
heard, joys are veiled with anguish. 
In a climate of terror, our days drip 
raindrops of blood and so much sadness.

IRMA KURTI is an Albanian poet, writer, lyricist, journalist, and translator and has been writing since she was a child. She is a naturalized Italian and lives in Bergamo, Italy. All her books are dedicated to the memory of her beloved parents, Hasan Kurti and Sherife Mezini, who have supported and encouraged every step of her literary path. Kurti has won numerous literary prizes and awards in Italy and Italian Switzerland. She was awarded the Universum Donna International Prize IX Edition 2013 for Literature and received a lifetime nomination as an Ambassador of Peace by the University of Peace, Italian Switzerland. In 2020, she became the honorary president of WikiPoesia, the encyclopedia of poetry. In 2021, she was awarded the title of Liria (Freedom) by the Italian-Albanian community in Italy. In 2022, she was also nominated as the Albanian ambassador to the International Academic Award of Contemporary Literature Seneca of the Academy of Philosophical Arts and Sciences, Bari. She also won the prestigious 2023 Naji Naaman’s literary prize for complete work. Irma Kurti has published 27 books in Albanian, 23 in Italian, 15 in English, and two in French. She has written approximately 150 lyrics for adults and children. She has also translated 17 books by different authors, and all of her own books into Italian and English. Her books have been translated and published in 14 countries.