A Long Time Ago
By Leyli Salayeva
Those memories of every omelet cooked by you,
And us dreaming on motley cushions
In the middle of the forest, away from those
Who called us weirdoes, will never fade.
Soakings under splashes of fountain and strolling
Through the park to our favorite booth,
Where the lady of middle age with red lipstick
Will pack freshly baked cinnamon rolls for us.
The piles of books stacked on the square table up
Each of them reserve the meaning we were searching for
Unwelcoming rumpled bed that is cooled down
And the silence of the room cherishing our secrets.
Hiding in a moment the sense of our lives
A vulnerability that keeps our love in fragile hearts
One long sentence suspended in the air as a backlog
And that turquoise door left ajar, for you to come back.
Leyli Salayeva is a writer and performance poet from Baku, Azerbaijan. She writes poems, articles and short stories predominantly in English and studies the various facets of female soul.
Leyli has authored an award-winning children’s book Dilber and Her Spoonful Journey, two poetry books in English - Twelve Thirteen (2014) and Youtopia (2016) and two poetry books in Russian – Anabioz (2018) and Zatilok (2020). Youtopia received Honorable Mention at 2016 London Book Festival. Her poems and articles have been published in numerous literature journals in UK, Poland, Canada and USA.
She has also participated in collaborative art projects with other artists. She is a member of the Union of Azerbaijani Writers and a member of the Poetry Society in the United Kingdom.
Leyli draws her inspiration from communication with people. Her goal is to make poetry ubiquitous, popularize it, bringing it to those who do not read books, and for those who like to read, liven up poetic works on stage.
Therefore, she is constantly experimenting, and she has already collaborated with the Yarat! Contemporary Art Space, the French Institute in Azerbaijan, Goethe-Institute Azerbaijan and so on.
Her collaborative works and poems were exhibited in The Poetry Society UK, Triumph Gallery Moscow, Yay Gallery, Tbilisi Art Fair, ARTIM, “Maiden Tower. To be a woman” international festival, Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality, etc.
Instagram: @leyli_salayeva
Website: www.leylisalayeva.com