A Poem for BR by Khin Aung Aye

Heart Juggler, illustration by Kenneth Wong

Shakespeare paid tribute to the unidentified "Dark Lady" in a number of sonnets. Beethoven wrote a couple of letters addressed to the mysterious "Immortal Beloved." Khin Aung Aye published a poetry volume dedicated to BR.

BR Poems (Kyaw Hmway Books, May 2014) contains roughly 40 short poems in the first half; the same ones appear in English in the second half. The initials BR, according to Khin Aung Aye, stand for "One, two, or all four of the women who forged a spiritual bond with [him] in the Decembers of 2011, 2012,  and 2013."

In the beginning of this year, Khin Aung Aye asked me to translate his BR poem collection. Each one runs on average about 6-12 lines. Some are as short as 3 or 4 lines. They depict a romantic interlude that came to its inevitable end, despite the poet's best efforts to postpone or prevent it. They're characterized by brevity and deliberate simplicity. They're invested with honest emotions and unapologetic sentimentality.

In some of the pieces, just a few subtle word changes in one line lead to the next.

over the veranda
rise a man
and a moon.

on the veranda
stand a man
and a moon.

on the veranda
a man
a moon.

 In others, the poem's restraint leaves enormous room to expand in meaning:

an unlikely
event.

yet—
it happened.

that 
did happen. 

it happened 
between us.
 
it happened 
today.

The poem below, presented with Khin Aung Aye's Burmese recital followed by my English in audio, is untitled like the rest in the book.

"A Poem for BR" 

by Khin Aung Aye
Translated by Kenneth Wong

br

on a journey that’s certain to offer no answer, 
the reckless 
trembling heart 
sings your blames to the sky. 
the struggle of our spirits that want to move on 
cannot be withdrawn. 
like you said, we’ll let it slip away 
without leaning toward any direction; 
it’s uncomfortable for me 
to twist and fold my desire to understand. 
how will you juggle with affection? 
with bated breath I watch your act. 
i’m your hardcore fan. 

Khin Aung Aye's poems also appear in Bones Will Crow, an anthology from Arc Publications featuring English translations of works by Burmese poets. He regularly publishes his poetry in Burmese at his blog People, Epochs, and Poems.