the unforgettable day
there is such a day when words become unnecessary
you touch someone’s shoulders
you are not ashamed of tears
then you understand more
than on other days of the year
the masks that hide resentments fall
it’s good that there is
such a unique day
a white communion wafer* placed on hay
glows in the candlelight
then the Eternal One spreads love
without noise or advertising
then you do not shy away
from His touch
quiet and incomprehensible
Translated by Olga Smolnytska
* In Polish tradition, on Christmas Eve, families share the Christmas communion wafer, which symbolizes love, unity, forgiveness and reconciliation between people. (The author’s note)
The Calling
I wandered, thinking off to the side
I tried to love
always imperfectly
an angel was shedding feathers
I didn’t see the signs
I understood very little
more and more questions are catching up with me
take my fear with your love
take me where nothing ever ends
silence becomes a melody
take me
Translated by Sr. Paula Drożdż
dewdrops
falling dewdrops
carelessly announced
their presence on the bench
wanted to arouse admiration
in a single moment in human
illuminated by the rays
of the rising sun
revealed a unity
split in two
amazement
filled the milieu
Translated by Olga Smolnytska
Aleksandra Sołtysiak (Poland), graduate of the Catholic University of Lublin and Jagiellonian University in Kraków. She has served as coeditor of the poetry anthology Dotyk nadzie (The Touch of Hope), which was translated into Ukrainian and German, as well as of the international anthology in support of world peace The tree of peace turns green / European poetry for universal harmony, which has been translated into Polish and English. She i also the author Hope blossoms longer and the published poetry volume „Spilled from the cases”. Finalist in the fourth International Poetry Contest, „Voices in the Wilderness” held in Rome (2022). She publishes nationally and internationally. She has also been awarded the Gold Cross of Merit by Polish president Andrzej Duda. In 2023 distinguished with a medal for Merit to Polish Culture.
Information about the translator:
Olga Smolnytska, (Ukraine), PhD, writer, artist, literary critic.
