(To the legacy of the golden poetic seed of Ante Popovski: Две тишини, Коска паленица и Пророчки труби. – Скопје, „Pro Littera“, 2005)
I am of those generations that shall be proud that we had the honor to personally know him. I am one of the lucky ones who could not only listen to the voice of the poet, but also to experience his voice, his poetry live. Since I was a little child, his voice for me was somehow – Macedonian, maybe the most Macedonian voice that I had every heard. And his speech was – the most Macedonian it could be. The intonation, the cultivated expressiveness, that it how it was.
For Popovski’s poetry simple makes “love” to the language. It makes open love with the Macedonian language. It challenges it, seduces it, tempts it, shapes it, makes it” prouder, straighter, more dignified. This poetry is like a woman, a lover, who loves her lover in the most beautiful way. It pays him a public tribute, blesses him eternally, encourages him to have him understand how great his is.
In this way, with the holy poem, the Macedonian language was also sanctified. Our thought, our kin was sanctified.
Together, they uplift is, gives us the right to respect ourselves and to resurrect. This is an eternal right. And it shall give the same right to those who come after us.
This poetry decided to give meaning to what had been without a meaning, in its own, unique, brilliant way.
And we had the privilege to have it.
With Ante Popovski’s poetry, we all became greater, Venko and I, the audience, all of us.
* * *
Today this room is full, our writer’s “home” is full, because we have all crowded today. But, no matter how many of us there are, double, triple, today we all have the right to share the feeling that we are lonely. At this moment, we gathered as a big, huge sad family that misses the wise member whom we always expected to teach as a virtuoso, as a wise man, as a parent of the refined word. That is how he taught us. I think that we still wait, and we have the right to expect every piece of “gold” from his verses.
That is how we also encountered the most recent “house of verses” of the poet, – the three posthumously printed books of poetry: Две тишини, Коска паленица, Пророчки труби, published by “Pro Litera”, with the blessing of the Ministry of Culture.
Две тишини is the latest poetic “breath”, a rarity unheard, unpublished, unshared so far.
If these verses are accessed as our relic, then there is no bigger sacralisation. If this poetry is experienced as bread and wine, as a piece of the “body” and “blood” of his poetry – then it is a big, dignified communion. If we are believers in poetry, and we are such, then let us share this holy act together. The creator of the words is asking as from afar to do this. I know that he would want us to do this as noble as we can.
That is why today is a holy day for poetry, today we will all become sacred, if we listen to his verses, if we experience them together.
If there are collective moments of massive unhappiness, as there are moments of common happiness, when thousands of people feel the same, or at least similar, then today is the day when we can join via: same feelings, same moods, same thoughts and dilemmas. We can do this via his words, his legacy, his conscience. And his supreme conscience was poetry. His supreme candor, and honesty was poetry.
* * *
I am on of those who live the poetry of Ante Popovski. My life has more value because of the deep, intimate, long friendship with his poetry. This poetry “gave birth” to many new worlds. And it will give many more births. There is “my”, “our”, “your”, “their” world with this poetry.
It heels in the most beautiful way, not as a doctor, but as a natural, genuine poet. People have always healed themselves by words. Today, we shall heal together a bit.
I claim that Ante’s poetry is one of those that can even save a life. To drag you away from the bad.
Because he is benefactor, a father of temples, spiritual ones in which we enter, we calm down, we support, we are listened to and understood. Because Ante understood us all even before we started to understand and comprehend him.