Mektup 125: Kosovo

Timeless

They always asked me more than I could give,
Demanded shapes of how I ought to live,
I chose myself, though even that’s unclear,
For who I am or will be — fog and fear.

I saw a thousand worlds collaps and bend,
A thousand versions born, a thousand end,
I watched their lives unfold, their rise, their fall,
Each one a different echo of my call.

I gathered dreams and hung them in the sky,
Filled up my eyes with lives that weren’t just mine,
I drank their joys, their sorrows, sharp and sweet,
Their greatest highs, their pain beneath my feet.

I saw them bloom like flowers in the sun,
Then fade to dust when all their time was done,
A thousand me’s, all different, torn apart,
Observed outside of time, yet close to heart.

I wondered then: which version is the best?
The strongest form, the one that beats the rest,
The unbreakable, the flawless, cold and true,
The conqueror of worlds, the iron you.

I searched for years but never found that one,
Though universes bowed till I was done,
The answer never came, no perfect key,
Until I saw — that thing could only be me.

For who could choose the strongest path I’ve known,
If not the one who’s seen them all alone?
The fastest mind, the faithful hand of fate,
The timeless soul that does not bend or wait.

All versions merge inside this frame of skin,
A single man where multitudes begin,
A body built of countless lived mistakes,
Yet strong enough to bear what each one takes.

Enough of clinging hard to every scar,
I stretch my limbs, release the grip so far,
Trust — what a strange word, fragile yet divine,
To feel so safe while letting go of time.

We roam through lands and drink till nights collapse,
Get drunk and cry beneath the moon’s relapse,
A drunken ship on seas of burning red,
Warm wine like truth that floods the throat and spreads.

One single sip tastes richer than all skies,
More than a thousand worlds before my eyes,
The ache it leaves inside me feels so real,
I fall asleep while listening and heal.

My nails can grow, my hair can drift and wave,
I must not think of futures I can’t save,
My mind should hush, let silence do its part,
Your touch arrives — a remedy for heart.

I watch in awe each time you start to speak,
Then leave to worlds where I am once more weak,
Yet when I return, you’re still right by my side,
As if no space, no time, no gap applied.

No more false wars, no endless sleepless nights,
No numbness, rush, or chasing hollow fights,
We slow it down and let the moment stay,
And taste the now before it slips away.

The bread we chew, the wind upon our face,
The freezing air, that raw and honest place,
Oh beautiful Kosovo, sharp and bright,
We must be conscious of your fleeting light.

We count it down, let fireworks ignite,
We argue, laugh, then cry till morning light,
We dream of lands where living feels more fair,
Good countries imagined, then brought to life with care.

We must deserve the lives we claim as right,
Escape this dump, demand a better sight,
For those we love will call us as we run,
Please — none of you should cry for what’s begun.

For now, just this — no future to command,
No past to chain us, slipping through the sand,
For now, no more than breathing in this art:
To stay — and simply savor every part.