The anguish of living

Petali f’Wicc l-Ilma Author: Alfred Grech Publisher: Self-published Year: 2014 Extent: 134pp

The author is a lawyer, born and still living in Gozo. While carrying on with his profession, he still finds time to write poetry. A first book containing his poems was issued in 2012 entitled Mixxefaq u Lil Hinn. The present volume would thus be his second, containing poems written in 2013. The vast majority of his poems are allusive and also elusive: one rarely intuits the focus of the poem, which must be in the majority of cases something personal that happened to the author in his private life. Grech prefers oblique references to nature, to Gozo’s landscapes, and its flora and fauna. Many times he addresses an indeterminate person drawn from his private life and lets you, the reader, try and guess the context and the circumstances, which obviously are closed to the reader. But in two very forceful poems the context is clear and is also provided by the author. The following is Elezzjonijiet Generali 2013, written some days before the poll:

Ghax xebghu jghaddu z-zmien u jidhku bina Iwieghdu s-sema fl-art u elf hag’ohra, Li huma l-ahjar gvern u l-ahjar hakma, Hasbuna qeghdin nghixu n-naha lohra.

Ghax xebghu, ibellghulna r-ross bil-labra Ihaxxnu bwiethom, saru miljunarji, Hasbuna deficjenti, qed nemmnuhom, Ma naghmlux mod li saru missjunarji.

Ghax issa li hadd m’ghadu jaghti kashom, Ihammgu lil xulxin bdew b’hafna akkuzi, U f’daqqa wahda saru moralisti, U f’daqqa wahda m’ghadx hemm iktar skuzi

U sahansitra qalghu salt katavri Urewna wkoll kemm huma al- truwisti, Bdew jimppikaw min minnhom l-iktar vergni, U fost kulhadd gawdew il-gurnalisti! Or the following :

Elegija lil Raymond Pace Imhallef

Dawk li qed jaqdu dmirhom Li lilek wassluk s’haw’, U dawk li ghamluk vittma, Dawk li jinvestigaw.

Le mhux l-izbirri kienu ‘Mma kienu lkoll Maltin, U lanqas kienu shabek L-ispjuni ta’ xulxin.

Ghax hemm dnubiet li jidhru, Ohrajn li ma jidhrux, U dawk illi jinhafru, Ohrajn ma jinhafrux!

Ghal min tkun il-gustizzja, Jew bosta affarijiet, Ghal min twemmin il-poplu, Jew hafna hmerijiet.

Ghax sibna ruhna nobdu Ukoll jekk ma rridux Lil min irid inemmes Ukoll jekk ma nemmnux.

U demmek issa fuqu Min fittex tabilhaqq Salib haddiehor jerfa’ U jghix b’isem il-haqq.

Terrible words, strong emotions, a simple language that is keener than a knife.

Noel Grima