My New Poem in the Magazine’s Centennial Light

I am pleased to announce the publication of one of my recent poems in the centennial issue of the prestigious cultural magazine Academia Bârlădeană, a landmark publication of the Academia Bârlădeană Literary and Cultural Society and a longstanding pillar of both local and national cultural life. The event was honored by the presence and address of Mayor Dumitru Boroș, who emphasized the support of the local authorities for the region`s cultural heritage.

My poem, Ziua strănutului Colombinei (The Day When Colombina Sneezed), appears on page 25, in the section UN POEM DE…, alongside a text by the distinguished writer Simion Bogdănescu. Together, our works open the poetry section of the issue, Poezie, numește‑mă! (Poetry, Name Me!).

The same edition also includes a mention of my participation in the most recent meeting of the Bârlad Academy, within the section Life of the Academy, in connection with the reading of excerpts from the work of the celebrated Bârlad‑born author Victor Ion Popa. I am particularly moved by the fact that the front cover of this anniversary issue features a photograph of the poet Cristian Simionescu, laureate of the Premiul Uniunii Scriitorilor din Romania/Romanian National Writers’ Society Prize in 1985, who guided my first steps in poetry during my high school years.

The poster of the event and and the magazine.

Seven years have passed since his departure from this world, yet his presence remains vivid in my memory. “Every speck of dust in the glow of the ray, I looked at it with love,” he wrote—an image that continues to accompany me. During the First Autumn Meeting of the Bârlad Academy, held on Saturday, October 4, 2025, the poem published in the magazine was read publicly for the first time by the poet Ioana Dor. It was also the first occasion on which one of my texts was presented to an audience by another voice—an experience both humbling and profoundly meaningful.

As the magazine celebrates a century of cultural contribution, I extend my warmest wishes for many more years of creative vitality. My sincere gratitude goes to the editorial team for their trust and for the memorable moments associated with this publication.

7 October 2025

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The Day Colombina Sneezed

from the great stage I tumbled to arena

but foolishly beholding my shadow

at stage‑edge, I prevented the director

from making the darkness sexy

for the other spectators, and he,

with a twist of the brush, gave me

characters growing ever smaller

smaller and smaller

yesterday, one so insignificant,

but so very tiny, that no one could see me from the audience

and when the Prima Donna – Archangel sneezed

the air took me

carried me on its back

to the heart of the spectator

in the front row

right into His heart

sheltering me from waves of blood

I began polishing his right ventricle

with Desdemona’s handkerchief

immediately, a beautiful new neighborhood for the poor sprang up in the middle of the city

and in front of it, cabbage rolls are being handed out for free

to my surprise, it was the Chief Architect’s ventricle, so, dear Colombina

don’t wait for me for lunch

I have a drop of dew on my back

inoculated with the Blue

and please sneeze, because I want

to water

their roses