ICELAND - a poem by Em Clair

                                     ICELAND – a poem by Em Clair

(From the forthcoming book: Be a smiler...):

 Em Clair is a poet who expresses the language of the heart exceptionally well. Her poetry moves the deepest, loveliest feelings of the soul. I was deeply honoured to accept her poem “Iceland” that she sent to me after spending time in my country.

     Em Clair er ljóðskáld sem tjáir tungumál sálarinnar sérlega vel. Ljóð hennar snerta djúpt við fegurstu tilfinningum hjartans. Það var sérlegur heiður fyrir mig að taka á móti ljóðinu „Iceland“ sem hún sendi mér eftir dvöl sína á Íslandi.

                                                  Iceland

                             Across the sunlit sky in Iceland, words
                                       are written into your eyes
                                                   and they say

                                                    “Freedom”

                          When someone passes you on the street
                                        their smile is easy, even if
                         they haven’t practiced it yet today, even if
                                          you are the first person
                     to step into their shop and run your hand along
                             the fur-lined clothing, and the leathers
                                                   and the wools...

                                                       Oh,

                              You can try to close some part of you,
                              but fast and gentle humor will open it

                                                    In Iceland  

                   If you walk down to the waterline, swans, or ducks
               or seagulls will cover you in sounds, and in wings of light
                      and when you hug your clothing closer around you,
           embracing the sharp oceanic winds and crystal blue, you smile,
                                            because you discover
                       what everyone before you has discovered:

                               There’s a certain warmth in Iceland
                                          that only its freedom