JOANNA WICHERKIEWICZ

 

1

 

in Zachariat

we took a break

from loving people

 

time was swallowing concrete

inside the concrete

nature was dying slowly

 

people were slaughtering one another in herds

with words and with ammunition

 

we drank hatred with our morning coffee

and carried it

until the day was locked away

 

we slept sweetly

and that

was terrifying

 

2

 

ctivities in Zachariat

are subject to supervision

 

in the middle of nowhere

we built a panopticon

we stand guard over the greyness

which we define

according to current trends

 

we speak in the language of gods/devils

polish thoughts

adjust ambitions

grow old

according to available fashions

 

we are removing tolerance

from dictionaries

 

yes

 

we are free

 

3

 

over Zachariat

weather fronts wrestle

the greyness does not leave the streets

 

in the air

the anniversary of a death

and death

awaiting another anniversary

 

you too have a bridge

 

you would like to jump from

 

4

 

when

we laughed more often

in Zachariat

 

today we stare at wars

and count disasters

 

death

like mycelium

stretches for miles

rushes through the air

ripens

 

it will sprout

over some hope

beyond any choice

 

JOANNA WICHERKIEWICZ

 

JOANNA WICHERKIEWICZ is a Polish poet, editor, and literary activist. Born in 1971 in Mława, she spent her childhood in Żuromin, studied in Olsztyn, and currently lives in Uniejów, Poland. She is a member of the Polish Writers’ Association and serves as Vice President of the Friends of Uniejów Society. Since 2021, she has edited the “Poem of the Month” section in Biuletyn Literacki and has been a literary editor for the magazine W Uniejowie since 2016. Her poetry has appeared in numerous Polish literary journals and magazines, including Twórczość, Poezja Dzisiaj, Akant, Helikopter, Gazeta Kulturalna, and others, as well as in anthologies and literary almanacs. Her work has been translated into English, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Turkish. A multimedia poetry concert based on her poems was created and staged under the direction of Małgorzata Szyszka. Poems from her collection Who Is Zachary? have been discussed in Polish-language classes at a high school in Chicago and have inspired both academic and artistic projects. Her poetry has been performed by renowned Polish actors and artists, including Stanisław Górka, Dariusz Szada-Borzyszkowski, Robert Tondera, and Cezary Papaj. Her work has also been featured in literary podcasts and radio broadcasts across Poland. Joanna Wicherkiewicz is the author of four poetry collections: Fragments of Everyday Life (2015), Dysharmonies (2018), Who Is Zachary? (2020), and WielkoLUDY (2022). She is a recipient of numerous poetry awards and distinctions.