POETIC DELIGHTS BY SNJEZANA MAYER-CROSTIA

 

1-MY BODY

My body is a cage,

built of laughter and serenity.

My body is a cage,

built of glass and thorns.

My body is a cage

of rose petals.

My body is a refuge in a storm of despair.

I dance without you through the wilderness of time.

Words no longer speak anything;

I felt freedom above the stars.

Imagine me.

2- Dream Keepers

Where has he gone?

Where has the keeper of my dreams hidden?

I search for him in the dark corners of the room,

I open drawers, turn out pockets.

Everything is empty. I leaf through yellowed pages.

The clock ticks, the end is near.

Dreams have long since

ceased to be an escape from the present.

The keepers, silent and hidden somewhere, await a spark,

A spark to ignite the sky.

3- The Yellow Rosary

From the mire, from the mud,

The skeletons of lust writhed.

Bodies of shame, black hollows of empty gazes into nothing,

Stood in line for nowhere.

Station after station.

More and more tickets, less and less space.

Where do I look? Everything around me is black.

I search for a hand, just one warm hand, long and strewn with stars.

Say something, anything, I cry out to the heavens, I cry out to the angels.

Save me, lead me on your paths,

Warm my limbs with your wings,

Pull me out of this mire.

The flowers withered long ago, now rot and stench.

The cracked earth begs for raindrops.

Sharp stones cut my feet.

Carry me up to my Father.

Only the yellow rosary remains...

AUTHOR:

SNJEZANA MAYER-CROATIA

Snježana Mayer (b. 1963) is a Croatian visual artist renowned for her multifaceted work in painting, graphic design, and cultural preservation. A graduate of the School of Fine Arts in Split (1981), she began her artistic journey in 1979 with restoration work at the Croatian National Theatre in Split. Over the decades, she has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, showcasing her evolving creative vision.

Her artistic practice spans spiritually inspired works for Catholic churches, personalized commissions, interior design, city-commissioned projects in Trogir, and dynamic murals and graffiti. She also contributes to brand identity development through graphic design.

Mayer is deeply committed to preserving cultural heritage. She is an active member of organizations such as the Society for the Protection of Cultural Assets “Radovan” (Trogir), the Croatian Motherland branch in Trogir, and the Trogir Art Association. Passionate about education, she leads art workshops for children aged 6–15.

Internationally, she is affiliated with IAC (Pakistan), Artcom Expo (Norway), UNOTA (France), CUCBA, and the Writers Capital Foundation, reflecting her dedication to global artistic exchange. A familiar presence in Trogir, she paints in public spaces, particularly in front of the Town Museum, where she engages with people from around the world.

Her accolades include awards and recognition from art institutions across Spain, Italy, Hungary, South Korea, Portugal, Morocco, Cyprus, and the USA. Notably, her works are part of permanent collections in museums and churches in Croatia, Cyprus, and South Korea. Publications such as Arte Magazine (Pakistan) and The Fusion Arte Gallery Magazine have also featured her work.

Above all, Snježana Mayer describes herself as a "street painter," drawing inspiration from human interaction and the shared stories of those she meets.