Categorie: ALTculture – POEM

ÎNTRE MINE ȘI FINAL, de Doria Șișu ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.104, 4/2026 ▲ Noi mai credem încă în cultură! ABSTRACT Between Me and the End (Published in ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE No. 104, 4/2025) Author: Doria Șișu Overview Between Me and the End is a visceral, poetic meditation on the human condition, exploring the liminal space between existence and finality. Through a stream-of-consciousness narrative, the author confronts the relentless passage of time and the inherent sarcasm of a life lived in a cycle of unanswered questions. It is a call to awaken from the "illusory awakening" of modern existence and to recognize the stranger staring back from the mirror. Key Themes - The Weight of Permanence: The text identifies a "permanent sigh" in every morning breath and a "permanent void" filled with sadistic protocol and destructive trifles. It challenges the ego’s cry of "Why me?" by suggesting that time is an unblinking observer we fail to see. - The Duality of Life and Death: The author portrays life as a force that keeps us tied by our "short shoelaces," bound inextricably to death. Human beings are depicted as beings who pretend to be whole while clutching at the wings of others, mistakenly believing they possess freedom while blinded by their own shadows. - The Metaphor of the "Wooden Man": In a powerful shift toward the end, the narrator identifies as a "wooden man" awaiting the reader’s "polishing" (shaping). This plea emphasizes that power and love reside in the observer's hands, turning a silent block of wood into a "screaming syllable" that lives through the heartbeat of others. Conclusion Doria Șișu concludes with a poignant Post Scriptum on the "short madnesses" we choose as a perfect adjustment to a mad world. Ultimately, the piece serves as a philosophical reminder that we are merely "playing at being human," a game for which we eventually pay the earth with our own mortality. It encourages the reader to lean their head against the "edge of knowledge" as a final virtue and to find laughter beyond the secret of words.

Blestemul zeilor, de Doria Șișu ▲ ALTCULTURE MAGAZINE Nr.103, 3/2025 ▲ Noi încă mai credem în cultură! Abstract: "The Curse of the Gods" (Blestemul zeilor) Poetry by Doria Șișu In "The Curse of the Gods," Doria Șișu delivers a haunting, lyrical exploration of existential duality and mythological burden. The poem navigates the cold threshold where time fragments—where "mornings turn into winter on every finger"—and the human obsession with order and sacred numbers (the "cipher 7") clashes with a raw, primordial chaos. Through a series of stark, contrasting images, the poet sets the "Other"—lost in the deciphering of unknowns and the drawing of mornings on steamed windows—against a self-portrait of sacrifice and ancient echoes. Drawing from Norse mythology, Șișu invokes the figure of Odin and his eight-legged steed, Sleipnir, to illustrate a profound spiritual exile. While the world of numbers and islands offers a safe harbor for some, the narrator embraces the role of a "goddess of death," finding solace only in the rhythmic, wordless understanding of the ocean. "The Curse of the Gods" is a powerful meditation on the price of wisdom and the weight of words carried like sins, marking Doria Șișu as a distinct voice in contemporary philosophical poetry.