March 1st

Adina Colțea
At dawn, the bachelors from the ladybug clan decided to do something special for the girls in their group. They went around inviting each one of them to a pistachio éclair before the morning coffee. Ladybug Mia asked them to wait in the hallway, as she still had messages to read on Facebook. Noon came, the bachelors lost their patience with her, but Mia appeared, blushing and covered in so many new spots that she couldn't lift her wings to fly. They had to carry her on their backs. Spring couldn't wait any longer.
 
 Gheorghiță Mircea
Gigi has a hunchback, and his walk is labored on the way to the market. His shopping bag swings with each step, acting like a cat's tail, keeping him balanced. He only buys potatoes, he has no money, and besides, that's all you can find at the market. Gigi greets everyone with a smile, and they all respond the same. In truth, Gigi grins, but the others do so too. He admires their hunchbacks. He wishes for a bigger one himself and envies them as they load sacks of potatoes into their trunks. Ana sells mărțișoare^[1], but no one buys. Ana doesn't have a hunchback.

 Monica Ciurea
Ortansa, my early spring, he wavers, with tears I come, where can I find you? Dazed, he looks: there, two crosses. He made the sign of the cross and tried to put the flower on the grave. He widens his eyes: what have you done, woman? I came like a fool to match you, bought hydrangeas, four bucks a bunch, and what do I find? Hyacinths? You lie content under full jars, from the neighbor next door who won't let you rest even in death. But for his wife, the neighbor, not a single flower? She washed him, gave him to drink, and he still chases after you. Well then, goodbye. Call Ya Later. And he sticks the flower in the neighbor's grave: here.

 
(Translated by Maria Loredana Constantin / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)