Photo by Sergiu Vălenaș on Unsplash
The psychotherapist asks about my childhood.
Childhood like any other childhood. Like everyone else’s.
I lived in Soviet block housing,
was raised by my grandmother from
age one – it was the style back then –
(mothers didn’t want to wither away washing
pots or massage stinging soles of feet throughout the night),
I didn’t go to kindergarten, started right away in the second grade,
but the children laughed at me, because my breath
smelled (we brushed our teeth with baking soda), my braids
were tied with strands of hair and my uniform was
without pleats I learned to read at four, and I read,
I read, I traveled, I, Lina, thief’s daughter, a discarded toy by the campfire
at night, my planets – burned by sparks,
burned by coincidences, in my eyelashes – stalagmites of ashes.
At night I wiped piss off the floor, because
He had terrible aim, at night I guarded
the door, because He had terrible aim, at night I cleaned up
vomit, because He had terrible aim, I shuddered
unable to finish the whole dream, because at midnight
Boogeyman is coming for you
Freddy is coming for you
Voldemort is coming for you
He’s no longer here, but I still read and travel, because I, Lina, am the thief’s daughter.
translated by Ada Valaitis
Lina Buividavičiūtė was born on May 14, 1986. She is a poet and literary critic. Lina is an author of two poetry books in Lithuanian language. Her poetry is published in "Matter", "Masters", “Proverse poetry prize" contest anthologies, "Drunk monkeys", "Beyond words", "The Dewdrop", "The limit experience", "Poets choice", "Wingless dreamer", "HOW", "Beyond queer words", "Maudlin House", "Cathexis northwest press", "Poetry online" magazines and "Versopolis" poetry platform. Upcoming publications will appear in “New millennium writings”, "Cathexis northwest press", "Quillkeepers Press", "The Stardust review" and “Beyond words” magazine.