Zaza Koshkadze (Georgia)

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Zaza Koshkadze (real name Levan Tsertsvadze) was born in 1982 and graduated in Georgian folk music from the Institute of Traditional and Contemporary Art in Tbilisi. He co-founded the “Net Of Alternative Poetry”, and later “Pink Bus” with other young poets and artists. The Pink Bus anthology published in 2007. Two of his short stories were involved in the annual anthology 15 Best Georgian Stories. His book of poems Midnight Dance for Cancer nominated for best debut in 2013. The last five years has worked as a TV copywriter. In 2010 and 2012 participated in several literary workshops and festivals in Bratislava, Istanbul and Prague. In 2013 founded first genre fiction festival Insomnia to promote Fantasy, Sci-fi and horror literature in Georgia. In 2015 was a program participant at the World Science-fiction Convention in the U.S.

 

Midnight Dance for Cancer
 
it’s midnight sister
mama has cancer
and it’s time to go out on the street
to show some drunken men
that life’s a blessing
it’s time to let them see us
in the moonlight
those sad and lonely customers
mama needs chemo
and a few fake smiles
she’s dying sister
now we’re going to head out on the street
to sing a dirty song or two
to mama’s metastasis
and dance forbidden dances
to mama’s endless pain
to bring some money in
mama needs some bread
and a handful of pills
made of snow white shark bones
oh and a glass of water
to wash the taste away
dress up sister
dress up like a whore
and stop your sobbing
mama’s watching us
 
translated by the author