Dear Ex Qartulad 💯

So I’m writing this letter in the language you spoke in your sleep. The language your grandmother used when she cursed and blessed in the same breath. The language that holds three words for “morning” depending on how light touches the mountains.

— Not really goodbye. Just qartulad . Would you like a Georgian translation of the full post, or a shorter version for social media? dear ex qartulad

Not in English, where feelings fit neatly into boxes. Not in the language we used to order coffee or argue about rent. But in Georgian — raw, ancient, stubborn — where love is not just love but sikvaruli , a word that bends with suffixes like a vine heavy with grapes. Where “I miss you” is not direct, but circled through verbs and cases, like a prayer you learn by heart without understanding. So I’m writing this letter in the language

ნახვამდის, ჩემო კარგო. Until I see you again, my good one. — Not really goodbye