AGATA LINEK

AGATA LINEK

PALMS OF YOUR HANDS

to A.B.

I can’t imagine

Your hands

they stroke slowly

beginning from the wrist

up the arm to the neck and lips

and downwards

across the hips and thighs

all the way to the feet

I can’t imagine

Your hands

I must have them on me

UNCOMPLETED

they were startled

a woman and she was standing still

when doctors said

“nothing could be done”

they were startled

when not a single drop

touched

the coffin

they were startled

she simply packed

his things

as if she did it every day

they could not see

when she entered the kitchen

she cried bitter tears

on a green-topped table

a bill

for him forever

unpaid

KAZIMIERZ DOLNY

yes, for the first time I’m alone here

I don’t know if I find a way to all the places

or get off a bus where I should

legs remember better than head

the post office - here we found a shelter from the rain

this road leads to the Vistula

there we were at the Film Festival

further up there should be Sadowa street

and on the left the cafeteria “Kwadrans”

we ate pancakes there after early morning shows

on the right the restaurant “Widok”

the best dinners and suppers

front yard, cellar door, back yard

and again a bus station and a post office

to the left a town market and two steps earlier the best waffles

a grocery store and cream rolls

and… a well (my darling - I miss you, don’t you?)

souvenirs, souvenirs, souvenirs

don’t break your legs entering a church

postcards – I always bought them on the left side of Lubelska street

I like collecting cards

I write a date on each and know everything

a garden, a garden, a garden

roosters, paintings, oh!

this is here where Łazorek used to sit

his “Umbrellas”, “Plebanka Street” and “A House on the Hill”

[hang on the wall in our living room

I miss him now

a jump to the Small Market

the film shows were here, too

the best wicker baskets (besides Rudnik)

and pictures of Kazimierz - I have two of them

a small bridge over a moat (my childhood fascination)

and suddenly I am on the exit road to Czerniawy

I still have to stop by “Mandaryn”

and go back to Vistula boulevards

AGATA LINEK

AGATA LINEK comes from Stalowa Wola. A poet, prose writer, animator of culture, editor of volumes, reviewer of poetry, drama critic, copywriter, Carer of the Poetry at Artefakty Literary Portal. A holder of four degrees at the Jagiellonian University, where she is currently writing her PhD dissertation. A member of the Literary Group „Phoenix”, the Literary Association „Witryna”, the Polish Authors Association and Association of Polish Writers. She has won numerous national and international poetry and prose competitions. She made her debut in 2002. She published in local and nationwide, poetic anthologies and in USA, India, Australia, Slovakia, Ukraine. Her poems were translated into Slovak, English and Russian. They were also presented in the Polish Radio. She published four poetry collections: „Are You an Elf?” (2006, the Award of Rzeszów Association of Polish Writers for Podkarpackie Province Debut), „Laugh of a Night Butterfly” (2010), „Singing of a Dolphin” (2012, nominated to „Gałązka Sosny” Stalowa Wola City Literary Award) and “Whisper of a Puma” (2015, Polish-English version, “Gałązka Sosny” Stalowa Wola City Literary Award, nominated to „Gold Rose” Literary Award and to „Orpheus 2016” K.I. Galczynski’s Poetry Award). She is interested in film and music. She dreams of a trip to Australia. Her country of origin: Poland mother language: Polish nationality: Polish : place of living: Poland.