Your death lies shipwrecked
in my chest,
yet
all I can do
is think
of vineyards
Light falls on the grapes,
and drops of dew slide down
a remembered breast
marked by a scar
I once loved.
The flash of that memory
disarms me
and frees me
from the reckless things
I might still do.
So much written in your heart
we never reached.
Now you belong to the soil
soaked with our sweat
and nothing but defeat
feels certain.
Sometimes I dare
to lower my guard
and let myself miss you
like the sea and fresh water

Mehmed Begić

Mehmed Begić is a poet from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He spent his early youth in his hometown, as well as in Mostar and Sarajevo. He is one of the founders and editors of the cultural magazine Kolaps – A guide for urban sleepers (1999–2010).

In 2000, together with Marko Tomaš, Nedim Ćišić, and Veselin Gatalo, he published a joint poetry collection titled L’amore al primo binocolo with the Italian publisher L’Obliqua in Brescia.

His translations of Leonard Cohen’s poetry into Bosnian appeared in the published collection Moj život u umjetnosti (Leonard Cohen – My Life in Art), released by Alternativni institut Mostar in 2003. He is featured in the interview and poetry collection Jer mi smo mnogi by Croatian poet Marko Pogačar.

Begić has collaborated with the band Vuneny and singer-songwriter Sanel Marić Mara. He occasionally contributes to online publications such as Žurnal (Sarajevo), Blesok (Skopje), and magazines like Tema (Zagreb). Together with Damir Šodan, he translates Hispanic poetry in the Divlji detektivi series.

He has an ongoing cooperation with Sarajevo-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Basheskia, resulting in several albums. In 2015, the album Savršen metak, blending his poetry and music, was released.

He also participated in the album Iznad tame – Pjesme za Viktora Haru (2023) with the collective Novi odmetnici. All lyrics were written by Begić.

He lived for many years in both Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. As of 2024, he lives in Madrid.