/ I look for it / dig deep / summon it / for nights / and nights and nights /
that one word / that word / even I don’t know / whether it exists / I wait for it /
under sooty street lamps / in misty winds / with strange songs / desperately /
long for that word / even if I saw / maybe / I couldn’t tell / whether it is it /
yet I run after it / under dusty skies / in foggy streets / with rusty lights /
that one word / even if I met / maybe / I wouldn’t recognise it /
/ then I collect /
orange gleams from the lamps / feathers from the winds /
chagrin from the songs / hope from the skies /
bones from the streets / tears from the lights /
/ I collect myself from the nights /
/ to find a tall mirror / standing / at the edge /
of a frozen field / with my name /
carved on it /
Özge Lena
Özge Lena’s poems have appeared in The London Magazine, Orbis, Abridged, The Selkie, and elsewhere in various countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Iceland, Serbia, and France. She was nominated both for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. Özge’s poetry was shortlisted for the Ralph Angel Poetry Prize and the Oxford Brookes International Poetry Competition in 2021, as well as for The Plough Poetry Prize in 2023. Her poem “Here is a New Heart For You” was featured in the storefront of Barnes & Noble bookstore in Dublin, California for the National Poetry Month 2024.
OSMOSIS PRESS 