Untitled (A metà)
By Stella N’Djoku - Switzerland, 1993-present
Beginning | Identity, Nature
A metà
tra mare deserto e più su
montagne e foreste
Senza radici
spalle atlantiche
per sopportarne il peso
Non posso contenere
ciò che mi contiene.
Glossary
|
WORD
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|
| a metà (phrase) | in between two points | in the middle of, partway, centrally |
| atlantiche (adj.) | describing a body of water | oceanic, marine, atlantic |
| ciò che (pron.) | used to refer to a thing/something | this thing that, what, which |
| contenere (v.) | having or holding something inside | enclose, encompass |
| contiene (v.) | from the verb contenere, meaning having or holding something inside | encloses, encompasses |
| deserto (n.) | a dry, barren area of land | desert, wildnerness |
| e (conj.) | in addition to | and, as well as |
| foreste (prep.) | an area with many trees | woods, forests, woodlands |
| il (art.) | denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge | the |
| mare (n.) | a body of water | sea, ocean |
| mi (pron.) | referring to oneself | me, myself |
| montagne (n.) | a large natural elevation | mountains, peaks, hills |
| non posso (adv. + v.) | from the verb potere, meaning to be able to do something | I cannot, I am unable, I am incapable |
| per (prep.) | with the purpose of | to, in order to, so as to |
| peso (n.) | the measure of the mass of an object | heaviness, load, weight |
| più su (adv.) | describing location | higher, up above, farther up |
| radici (n.) | part of a plant that grows underground | roots, shoots, core |
| senza (prep.) | in the absence of | lacking, without, missing |
| sopportarne (v.) | from the verb sopportare, meaning to bear weight | sustain, hold up, carry |
| spalle (n.) | part of the body between arms and neck | shoulders, joints, spans |
| tra (prep.) | describing location | between, amid |
Bio
Stella N’Djoku is a poet, journalist, and teacher from Ticino, the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. Her mother’s family comes from Italy and her father is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She studied philosophy, science, and theology. Her poems often talk about nature, grief, and identity. In her words, “poetry helps open you up to life.”
*From an interview in the Swiss newspaper Corriere del Ticino: https://www.cdt.ch/prodotti/grazie-alla-poesia-c on-poche-parole-posso-esprimere-grandi-conce
tti-325285
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