{"id":102823,"date":"2024-04-04T18:36:47","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T16:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.acosopov.com\/reading-room\/poetry-shelf\/%d1%82%d1%80%d0%b5%d0%b1%d0%b0-%d0%b4%d0%b0-%d0%b1%d0%b8%d0%b4%d0%b5%d0%bc%d0%b5-%d0%bf%d0%be%d0%b4%d0%be%d0%b1%d1%80%d0%b8\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T13:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T12:34:21","slug":"we-have-to-be-better","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.acosopov.com\/en\/reading-room\/poetry-shelf\/we-have-to-be-better\/","title":{"rendered":"We have to be better"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\t\tWe Have to Be Better\t<\/h1>\n\tWe have to be better.
\nWe have to be better.
\nBetter than the red heart of the bread
\nthat fills the whole room with the aroma
\nof Sun and Earth and Hunger.
\nWe have to be better.
\nWe have to be better.
\nBetter than the white lips of the water
\nthat kiss your knees and speak in a whisper
\nof all the rivers that have run dry
\nand all the throats that are dreaming of wine.
\nWe have to be better.
\nWe have to be better.
\nBetter for the sake of the child
\nwho is imagined by your mornings
\nand by the rainbow in your heart.
\nBetter for the sake of that kindly man
\nwho wishes you “Good afternoon”
\nas he calmly enjoys his lunch.
\nWe have to be better.
\nWe have to be better.
\nBetter than the red heart of the bread,
\nbetter than the white lips of the water,
\nfor our own sake,
\nfor our own sake,
\nfor the sake of the man’s “Good afternoon,”
\nfor the sake of that innocent child,
\nwho is imagined by your mornings
\nand by the rainbow in your heart.\n\tAco \u0160opov<\/a>, The Wind Carries Beautiful Weather<\/a>,<\/em> 1957
\nTranslated from the Macedonian by Christina E. Kramer and Rawley Grau, The Long Coming of the Fire<\/a><\/em>, Dallas, Deep Vellum, 2023.\n\tThe poem performed by \u0160opov’s grand-children
\nMila, Aleksandar and Leonardo\n\t\t