WHITE BLACK CRACOW
Now the city at night is so white
and vertical
people walk upright
pairs of white horses are sleeping
standing on their eight legs
white droskies behind them
with white wheel spokes
and white girl cabbies
in white hats
with white pompoms
are looking out for vertical tourists
at the white Cloth Hall
and no one and nothing falls
except for two random mannequins outside the store
and the white star no longer falls
as it once fell on the horizontal night
black
with some gray secrets.
Translated by Krystyna Lenkowska and Cecilia Woloch
OVERDUE ATTENTION
In this time of plague when covered faces
flit about the street in a Theater of the Absurd
Jan comes
with an aura of overdue attention
he brings a dog a cat a hedgehog a thrush chick
thrown from its nest
finally he brings a friend
Michael Jasper is a bit younger
but in different circumstances he too would need
mother’s milk
but now the boys need
neither need nor possession
they are independent
self-sufficient
autonomous
in fact
I bring them myself
and invent this plot
about their need for attention
now I will add touch
which they no longer remember
because touch is Here
and all the rest is There.
Translated by Krystyna Lenkowska and Dana Gioia
Krystyna Lenkowska, Polish poet, translator, essayist, published several volumes of poetry, a novel & translations of Emily Dickinson's poetry. Awarded in Sarajevo ("Seeking a Poem" 2012), Macedonia-Albania ("Ditet e Naimit "2013), India (The World Congress of Poets 2019), China (Renren Literature Network Award 2023). Her volume "Balcony" received Grand PIK 2023 Special Award and represented the Polish radio broadcasting in Premios Ondas 2023 competition in Barcelona. She is a member of the Polish Writers' Association (SPP), the Literary Translators' Association (STL) and Authors' Association ZAiKS. She has represented Poland at many festivals, congresses, literary residencies all over the world.
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