TATJANA TOMIĆ
Tatjana Tomic, poet and graduate librarian, lives in Gradacac, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she works as a school librarian. She has published poetry, haiku, short stories and literary criticism in numerous cultural and literary magazines. Her work is represented in more than seventy international collections and anthologies of poetry and short stories in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Balkan, Romania and Australia. For her work she received numerous international awards and recognitions, such as: Second Prize at the International Mesopotamia Festival 2019 (Iraqi Cultural Center “Mesopotamia”, Belgrade, Serbia, 2019); Award for the best foreign author of the event at the Fourth Poetic Manifesto “The Ohrid Poetic Pearl” (Ohrid, Northern Macedonia, 2019); Special recognition “Orpheus scroll” for cherishingthe beauty of love poetry at the Seventh International Poetry Meetings “Orpheus on the Danube” (Kostolac, 2019); International recognition Silver Charter at the Mesopotamia International Poetry Festival 2017 (Iraqi Mesopotamia Cultural Center, Belgrade, Serbia, 2017); Third Prize for the Haiku Cycle at the Fourth International Contest “Poet and Earthquake” on the occasion of literary event “Momo’s Days” (Belgrade, Serbia, 2017); Third Prizes at the International Poetry Meetings “Velimir Rajic” (Aleksinac) in the category “Best poem in free theme for 2014” (Aleksinac, Serbia, 2017); Third Prize “Best poem of poets from EX-YU excluding Serbia” at the International Poetry Festival “Mesopotamia 2014 – International Poetry Day” (Iraqi Cultural Center, Belgrade, Serbia, 2014); Third prize at the International Poetry Competition “Illumination 2013” (Niš, Serbia, 2013). Tomic was also shortlisted for the award at the 7th European Facebook Poetry Festival in 2016, organized by the Banat Cultural Center and Novi Sad Book Fair (Serbia), as well as shortlisted for the award at the 9th European Festival in 2018.
THE ODE
Where are these
These inexhaustible springs
of fruitful fields
of intrusive muses?
In harshest wasteland
Unnecessary it is
the magical transparency of water.
Like
a landscape
boldly painted with gold.
O beautiful,
Oh dear,
Oh sweet…
You are enchanting.
You are exhausting
You are oppressing.
Tatjana Tomić, Gradačac, Bosnia and Herzegovina
