Artwork by Abigail Larson
Chłopiec siedzi na piasku
i wymiotuje glonami.
Ściągnięty kapokiem brzuszek,
kaftanik nabrzmiały od łez.
I nagle przypomina mi się on
i ty: motyw z widokówki:
biały dom i czarny klucz mew.
Włosy pachnące cukrem.
Twój płaszcz uderza mnie w dłonie,
kiedy chcę coś pokazać.
Chowasz twarz w szaliku
nagle bardzo zajęty.
Meduzy fosforyzują cicho.
~ Agnieszka Wolny-Hamkało
A boy crouches on the sand,
sick with seaweed.
His tummy cramped by the life jacket,
the small vest swollen with tears.
And suddenly I remember him,
you too: a postcard motif:
white house, black key of seagulls.
The hair smells of sugar.
Your coat smacks me on my hands
whenever I want to point out something.
You hide your face behind your scarf,
strangely preoccupied.
Jellyfish glow quietly.
~ trans. Elżbieta Wójcik-Leese
Agnieszka Wolny-Hamkało (b.1979) is an award-winning poet with six volumes to her name; she also writes novels, journalism and books for children. She is also known for her performance readings and her promotion of women’s writing in Poland.
Elżbieta Wójcik-Leese’s translations of contemporary Polish poetry appear regularly in journals and anthologies. Her books include: ‘Nothing More’, a selection from Krystyna Miłobędzka (2013); ‘Salt Monody’, versions of Marzanna Kielar (2006); ‘Cognitive Poetic Readings in Elizabeth Bishop: Portrait of a Mind Thinking’ (2010). She has co-edited ‘Carnivorous Boy Carnivorous Bird: Poetry from Poland’ (2004) and co-written ‘Metropoetica. Poetry and Urban Space: Women Writing Cities’ (2013).
