Cosmic & Uneasy

Tag: Finland

  • Further Encounters With Aurora

    Further Encounters With Aurora

    From a series of poems written during my stay in Lapland.

    I thought the time
    had finally come
    to meet again:
    the right month,
    the right place.

    But shame on me
    for undervaluing
    your unpredictability.
    You’re a slap in the face,
    a rinse of humility.

    You appear at your fancy,
    wrapped in clouds,
    and to frozen photographers
    with tripods and all,
    you blow raspberries.

    Showing up in pictures
    but not to naked eyes?
    Okay, we get it:
    being taken for granted
    is not your style.

    As per our old habit,
    you come when I’m leaving.
    Is our situationship toxic
    at this point in our story?
    I guess we’ll be seeing.
  • The Clarity Of Silence

    The Clarity Of Silence

    From a series of poems written during my stay in Lapland.

    Lappi,  
    Lappi,  
    inexplicable,  
    endearing,  
    alluring,  
    merciless,
    stripping down sounds,  
    colours,  
    scents,  
    leaving so much space  
    to listen to myself.  
    Why do you take away  
    from my ordinary life  
    so much sense?  

    All my desires echo  
    in this vast emptiness.  
    I want your pale face  
    always with me,  
    in my mind,
    Lappi,
    Lappi,
    as a reminder  
    that what matters
    is not the rat race,
    so meaningless,
    but what is inside,  
    true,
    pristine.
  • What I Take With Me

    What I Take With Me

    From a series of poems written during my stay in Lapland.

    This is my last day
    here in Lapland.
    It also happens
    to be my birthday
    and Sami National Day.

    My present will be
    breathing as much
    as I possibly can.
    I’ll stock my lungs
    with this clean air.

    I want to imprint
    this unspoiled scent
    on my nostrils
    and on my brain,
    an olfactory memory

    to hold dear
    when I am back
    choking on PM10,
    down in the city
    where I live.
  • Out Of My Depth

    Out Of My Depth

    From a series of poems written during my stay in Lapland.

    Here is so vast,
    so empty,
    so different.
    People here
    have special skills.
    They endure the cold,
    do not fear the snow.

    I, countryside girl,
    instead cannot.
    Snowy tracks
    are not my thing,
    I walk simple routes,
    so afraid
    I would get lost.

    Did I intrude
    into a world
    not meant for me?
    Do time and money
    atone
    for not belonging?
    Am I a joke?

    Me,
    here,
    today:
    privileged.
    This is not a playground
    for folks like me.
    This is ancient,
    wild and sacred.
  • Another Sea

    Another Sea

    From a series of poems written during my stay in Lapland.

    This sea is strange.
    It is not blue,
    it is all white,
    it is mermaid‑free.
    Its fish are weird,
    they have no fin
    but long sleek skis.

    There is no seaweed,
    just trees floating
    in wide clusters,
    with white balls on
    soft and cottony,
    like candy floss,
    huge lollipops.

    This sea has waves too.
    They are more like dunes
    with diamond powder
    glistening 
    under the moon.
    Is it stardust,
    fragments of dreams?

    It is what I wish,
    what is precious to me.
  • Overstaying Guest

    Overstaying Guest

    From a series of poems written during my stay in Lapland.

    Wrapped in silence,
    I walk toward
    the sinking sun
    in front of me,
    and all around
    the world turns rosy.

    A car passes by,
    filling my nostrils
    with something syrupy,
    almond‑like,
    artificially heavy,
    while everything is light.

    It does not belong
    to this picture,
    it’s so unwelcome,
    yet it lingers 
    for a moment
    too long,

    before the scent
    of puffy snow
    takes back its place
    right where Inari
    and Sodankylä
    shake their hands.
  • A Change Per Season

    A Change Per Season

    From a series of poems written during my stay in Lapland.

    White above,
    white below,
    and a belt of trees.
    A perfectly ironed sheet.
    Every now and then
    a skier here,
    makes a ruffle there
    on this soft draping,
    doomed to melt
    in a few months.
    Earth here gets bored
    of wearing the same clothes
    all year around
    and requests a change
    for every season.
  • “Get Lost!”

    “Get Lost!”

    From a series of poems written during my stay in Lapland.

    Everything is coated,
    frosted.
    Trees,
    lampposts,
    cables,
    even the road signs.
    Is this some hidden
    “get lost!” message
    nature is sending us?

    “Get lost.
    To hell with your tours,
    your aurora hunting,
    your damned buses.
    This is mine,
    still and silent,
    unlike you all,
    now if you please,
    get lost.”
  • Welcome To Lapland

    Welcome To Lapland

    From a series of poems written during my stay in Lapland.

    Here I am,
    at the edge of the continent,
    at the room window,
    looking at wilderness
    getting a touch-up
    of fresh powder
    to keep the look
    of “welcome to Lapland”
    postcard appearance.

    Then, after this small
    dump of snowfall,
    the sky cracked open
    into a blue hue,
    and the distant trees
    emerged from the background,
    peaceful and pure,
    untouched
    by destroyers.

    Here gentle hands heal,
    take care
    of these last icy
    fortresses
    of loneliness.
  • First Impression Of Kiilopää

    First Impression Of Kiilopää

    From a series of poems written during my stay in Lapland.

    I thought I was flying
    somewhere remote
    but stepping off the bus
    I realised I was wrong.

    People skiing,
    people hiking,
    people,
    people,
    people
    racing around
    frantically,
    like a swarm of ants
    shaping their anthill
    with a strict deadline
    and short on money.

    Capable folks
    knowing where to go
    while I,
    stunned by the fuss,
    couldn’t even picture
    where my building was.

    I expected “peaceful”
    and got “hectic”.
    Oh well.