Mr Andrzej
takes me through the forest to the sawmill tells me
about the streams that multiply in the thickets
suddenly he stands on the little bridge and asks if i am not afraid
if the lady is not scared of that current beneath us
we are coming out of the wild undergrowth, the fields
he picks a head of wheat, offers it like a rose and asks
if you can pick flowers if you can
pick poppy heads from the lady’s mouth to make wreaths
Mr Andrzej
looks into your eyes as if he wanted with this skyblue
to make your head spin and to mow the whole field
of cornflowers down with his eyelashes then reach his hand out for all
the surrounding flowers for bouquets, wreaths, stoops
we stop in the forest he takes my
hand places it on the trunk of a great tree
and asks if i feel if the lady feels how
wet it is – it’s the morning dew in the forest
cornflowers and poppies remained in the fields
Mr Andrzej
asks me to remember the tree please
remember that when wet, it buds and groans
since then any old rain can keep me from sleeping
From The tram dream (Księgarnia Akademicka, Kraków 2013)
Translation from Polish by Sarah Luczaj