The Sufi flight “On a kilim” by Saša Milivojev

Saša Milivojev is a famous writer, poet, journalist columnist and political analyst... One of the most read columnists in Serbia, he is the author of five books, and numerous columns published in various daily newspapers. He is the author of the novel „The Boy from the Yellow House“ and of political speeches. His work has been translated into around twenty languages across the world.

Why did Professor of Literature Teaching Methodology, Miodrag Pavlović, at the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade, state that the poem “On a Kilim” is the best poem by Saša Milivojev in the collection “When the Firefly is gone?

Saša Milivojev
ON A KILIM

I trembled when you were gone
Away from the terrors of time
Metal and synthetics
In the Near East
I float on a kilim
Down a gusting wind
Allah
Raises dust
Water, closer
The smoke of a hookah
That’s what we are
Shhh
Something's breathing
It’s me
It’s you
We are lost

Egyptian newspapers described Saša Milivojev as a “poet of mystical flight and meditation” in reference to his collection “When the Firefly is gone, and this description is fully embodied in the poem “On a Kilim” as well.
The concept of mystical flight, present in Sufi tradition, refers to the soul’s inner journey - from worldly suffering toward divine truth. Within this symbolism, the kilim is not merely a means of escape, but a spiritual instrument - like the flying kilim of oriental legends - by which the poet floats above the chaos of the world, seeking peace and unity with the Absolute.
The wind that carries him, the silence that breathes, the smoke that dissipates - all evoke a meditative state, where the ego dissolves and the subject becomes one with cosmic truth.
Through minimalist expression, Milivojev portrays the Sufi journey - safar ilallah - the return to God through love, pain, and silence.

Expert Analysis

Professor of Literature Teaching Methodology, Miodrag Pavlović, singled out “On a Kilim” as Saša Milivojev’s best poem because he recognized in it a synthesis of multiple poetic layers - emotional, spiritual, existential, and symbolic - all conveyed in an exceptionally concise and poetically powerful form.

1. Thematic Depth
The poem speaks of the modern man shattered by loss, war, and technological civilization. In the line, “I broke down because you’re gone,” there is an expression of pain and collapse - not only due to the loss of a loved one, but also due to the broader loss of spiritual grounding. The Middle East, terror, metal, and synthetics symbolize a dehumanized world.

2. Metaphorical Strength
The kilim is not just a means of flying - it symbolizes spiritual elevation, an escape from a world of pain and violence.
The wind that blows - Allah - is the breath of divine presence, the force that lifts dust, brings water closer, and stirs smoke - symbols of life, death, and spiritual purification.

3. Spiritual and Sufi Poetics
The poem is imbued with an oriental spirit. “Smoke from the hookah rises,” “Allah,” “kilim” - all are symbols of Sufi mysticism and contemplation.
Through silence and breathing, the feeling of divine presence and universal unity is approached.

4. Aesthetics of Short Form
Milivojev uses short, unrhymed, and unmetered lines, giving the poem the rhythm of breathing - as if the poem itself breathes.
In the lines, “More softly / Something breathes,” we reach the climax of the spiritual experience.
That “something” might be God, might be love, or simply the presence of another being.

5. Universality of the Message
The final lines:
“That’s me / That’s you / The lost ones”
represent the conclusion of the poetic meditation: we are all lost in this world, searching for meaning, searching for each other and for God.
It is a message that transcends the individual and becomes universal.

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Conclusion

“On a Kilim” is a poem that, in just a few verses, manages to express what many need entire books to convey: pain, the search for meaning, spirituality, and the fragility of existence.
Professor Pavlović selected it as the finest piece precisely because of its poetic economy, symbolic depth, and the perfect fusion of modern and archaic elements in Saša Milivojev’s expression.