Here’s a poem I love. It’s “I Have a Horse” by Tomaž Šalamun, translated by the poet and Anselm Hollo.
Šalamun (1941 – 2014) lived in Slovenia. He published 30 books and is highly regarded for his playful style.
This poem is easy to savor. Read it slowly and enjoy lines like “I have Marushka because I love her” and “With this courage I fight human stupidity” and that sweet, tender last line. That last line makes me want to live a certain way.
I Have a Horse
I have a horse. My horse has four legs.
I have a record player. On my record player I sleep.
I have a brother. My brother is a sculptor.
I have a coat. I have a coat to keep me warm.
I have a plant. I have a plant to have green in my room.
I have Marushka. I have Marushka because I love her.
I have matches. With matches I light cigarettes.
I have a body. With a body I do the most beautiful things that I do.
I have destruction. Destruction causes me many troubles.
I have night. Night comes to me through the window of my room.
I have fun racing cars. I race cars because car racing is fun.
I have money. With money I buy bread.
I have six really good poems. I hope I will write more of them.
I am twenty-seven years old. All these years have passed like lightning.
I am relatively courageous. With this courage I fight human stupidity.
I have a birthday March seventh. I hope March seventh will be a nice day.
I have a friend whose daughter’s name is Breditza.
In the evening when they put her to bed she says Salamun and falls asleep.