The Estonian word for writing poetry, luuletama, may have a binary meaning – first creating or reciting poetry and second, telling fibs, fabling or concealing something. An option in which case poetry is associated with a lie may even be an advantage to a person’s self-expression. Although poetry attempts to tear open souls and worlds, a poem – however glowing – can never replace soul or world but only be their description or reflection. A poem may represent a throbbing soul as its advocate or a prosecutor of universe – but can it always be honest? When describing soul or universe, can the poet sufficiently enfold the entire spectrum of variance to fit all the nuances into his language? Can rippling oceans be squeezed into a definite number of lines, with the poet convinced that the ocean is there, just like a jellyfish in the water?

Perhaps one can say that good poetry is always truthful, it never lies, however any poem’s truth is always caught by the very words that compose it. A word is restricted, not so feelings and universe. Poetry composition reminds of appealing to feelings through masks, or behind masks. It is not only language that can check seething feelings into a single expression or grimace but rather the horizon that is just revealing itself to the poet. What kind of masks can a poem display or conceal; how many expressions can be counted; can unmasking one open up another or will it remain bottomless?

Welcome to the Nordic Poetry Festival in Tallinn – to a masquerade of souls against the background of decorations of universe.