Today we honor the birthday of a promising, young Bolognese poet. Stefano Cavedoni began his career in the turbulent 1970s, as one of the founders and lead performers of the rock band Skiantos. This was a particularly difficult period for Italy, known as the “years of lead” – Stefano and his crew attempted to diffuse the political tension of the time through their irreverent songs and shenanigans. Since then, Stefano has enjoyed success as a stand-up comedian, walking guide and writer, and most recently started a new band called Prosthathas (i.e. the “Prostates”). He will now be joining me as a regular contributor on this blog. As a sneak peak of what’s to come, I’ve enclosed one of his poems below (English translation follows):
Ehi… sono o non sono il tuo ragazzo?!?
L’altra sera mi hai permesso
di portarti in pizzeria
Mi son fatto anche la barba
canticchiando una canzone
Siamo stati in riva al fiume
dove l’erba non è dura
Tu parlavi della luna
per cercare di distrarmi
Ho tentato di baciarti
ho ingoiato sei zanzare
Siamo andati nell’androne
sei scappata in ascensore
Ehi sono o non sono il tuo ragazzo?!?
Mi vuoi spiegare cosa c’entra l’alito?!?
Sono due le cose al mondo
che mi piacciono di più:
l’aglio e tu
di Stefano Cavedoni Bolognese (formatlive@libero.it), dal suo libro “Poesia Cinese contiene poesia italiana minorile del tardo ‘900”
Hey… am I or am I not your boyfriend?!?
The other night you let me
take you to the pizzeria
I even shaved
humming a little song
We went to the river’s shore
where the grass is not hard
You spoke of the moon
in order to distract me
I tried to kiss you
I swallowed six mosquitoes
We entered the apartment building
you escaped in the elevator
Hey! Am I or am I not your boyfriend?!?
What does bad breath have to do with it?!?
Of all the things in this world,
I like most two:
garlic and you
by Stefano Cavedoni Bolognese (formatlive@libero.it), from his book “Chinese Poetry contains juvenile Italian poetry of the late 1900s”
