Poezie

The Geography Lesson

1 min lectură·7 mai 2004

Mediu

The first map of my homeland I remember

was a blank bulletin board

on which they pinned down

loyalty, patriotic fervor, sacrifice,

and nothing else.

They said that would suffice.

My grandmother got a job as a secretary,

and all day she had to check for typos

in the word “comrade”;

my mom was in charge of wiping out

marmalade stains left on circulars

by sticky hands of teen boys and girls

in overalls,

and keeping flies from laying eggs

on the red letters

in ”our wonderful heroic people”.

Nobody was fooled, though.

But they nailed me up with my favorite

language: solum patriae sacrum est.

(I have to admit this is a dead language)

Anyway,

they didn’t cut off my legs

to fit into the communist bed,

yet the pins I removed from the map

came out blood-red,

and my loyalty, patriotic fervor, sacrifice

smelled sharply of squashed bed bugs;

so I knew I was given

a dilapidated map of my homeland.

©Elena Malec, California, June 3rd,1997

006.570

Despre aceasta lucrare

Autor: Elena Malec
Tip: Poezie
Cuvinte: 168
Citire: 1 min
Versuri: 30
Actualizat: 28 feb. 2026

Cum sa citezi

Elena Malec. “The Geography Lesson.” Atelier, Poezie.ro, https://poezie.ro/atelier/elena-malec/poezie/72716/the-geography-lesson

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Elena Malec

@elena-malec

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Nascuta pe 31 iulie,1954 la Bucuresti, Romania. STUDII Licentiata in filologie, Universitatea Bucuresti, Facultatea de Limbi Moderne specialitatea Literatura si limba Spaniola-engleza, franceza(1979) EXPERIENTA PROFESIONALA Profesor de limba engleza, scoala generala, Braila 1980 Traducator de spaniola, Institutul de Constructii Pentru Agricultura si Industria Alimentara, Bucuresti 1983 – 1990; Cercetator-filolog,Institutul de Stiinte ale Educatiei, Bucuresti, 1990-1992; Profesor de spaniola,Ambasada Spaniei la Bucuresti , 1990-1992; Profesor, University Montessori School of Irvine, California, USA, 1992-1993 Profesor de limba spaniola, IES Language Foundation, California, USA, 1994-1996; PUBLICATII SI COLABORARI 1984 - Barcelona, Spania – traducere in limba catalana a trei poeme de George Bacovia in colaborare cu profesorul universitar Xavier Lamuela(QUADERNS CREMA) 1989 - Bucuresti, Romania – traducerea in limba romana a poetului catalan Salvador Espriu (ROMANIA LITERARA) 1989 - Bucuresti, Romania – conferinta SEFARAD’92 tinuta la Ambadsada Spaniei in Bucuresti 1990 Sibiu, Romania – critica literara "Dimensiuni baroce in opera lui Stefan Augustin Doinas" (revista TRANSILVANIA ) 1991 - Bucuresti, Romania – critica "Medea la Seneca si Euripide"(CAIETE CRITICE) 1991 - Bucuresti, Romania – articole(REVISTA DE PEDAGOGIE) 1992 – Bucuresti, Romania – articole (REVISTA DE FILOSOFIE) 1994 - USA - colaborare cu Dr. Ch. L. Glenn (Educational Freedom in Eastern Europe) Proză și poezii publicate în Statele Unite ale Americii. HOBBIES fotografie digitala, webdesign,desen, pictura, păpuși de cârpă(creație) www.emalecdesign.com/ http://globalvillagepoetry.blogspot.com/ www.emalecdesign.com/FineArtbyElenaMalec.htm Born on July 31, 1954 in Bucharest, Romania. EDUCATION Graduated from the University of Bucharest, Department of Modern Languages – 1979 Diploma in Philology (equivalent to M.A) Specialization: Spanish, English and French Languages and Literatures. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Teacher of English Language, primary and secondary education – Elementary school –1980; Spanish Translator at the INSTITUTE OF STUDIES AND DESIGN FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE CONSTRUCTIONS Bucharest 1983 – 1990; Philologist- researcher at The Department of Educational Theory, INSTITUTE OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES, Bucharest, 1990-1992; Spanish Teacher at the EMBASSY of SPAIN in Bucharest , 1990-1992; Teacher at University Montessori School of Irvine, California, USA, 1992-1993 Spanish teacher at IES Language Foundation, California, USA, 1994-1996; PUBLICATIONS AND COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH 1984 - Barcelona, Spain – translation (QUADERNS CREMA) 1989 - Bucharest, Romania – translation (ROMANIA LITERARA) 1989 - Bucharest, ROMANIA – conference celebrating SEPHARAD’92 held at the Embassy of Spain in Bucharest 1990 Sibiu, Romania – literary criticism (TRANSILVANIA) 1991 - Bucharest, Romania – literary criticism (CAIETE CRITICE) 1991 - Bucharest, Romania – articles (REVISTA DE PEDAGOGIE) 1992 – Bucharest, Romania – articles (REVISTA DE FILOSOFIE) 1994 - USA collaboration with Dr. Ch. L. Glenn (Educational Freedom in Eastern Europe)

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