five poems / five days #2

Adam Zagajewski

This


This that lies heavy
and weighs down,
that aches like ache
and burns like a slap in the face,
is a stone
or an anchor.

         (Trans. Renata Gorczynski)

*

“This” is a type of writing that forces the reader to a realization of a dualism – at the very least – present in all actions. An event, a feeling, a motive is always multi-purposed. Many times, the differences between those causes and effects blur, and the details become sensed rather than fully delineated. Zagajewsiki uses a very compressed form, language, and imagery to deliver this piece.