A letter from a son
imprisoned in Rzeszow to his father – in verse
A
good student in the school of evil
I
was for many years
And
learning was a pleasure for me
Sometimes
I had to struggle -
I
used to shiver when I slept
Thinking
– they are coming for me
The
beautiful day has ended
It
is difficult to reach the Rubicon.
In
the pillow of night I was crumbling my grief
In
small grains
And
during the day I was having a never – ending party
With
my friends
What
is life? – I don’t know yet -
I
have tasted just a drop of it
And
it was the worst one
Believe
me
II
Now
in my cell – two by three,
Through
a window ornamented with bars
I
brood on my days, regretting deeds
And
awful words -
I
hawked the helpful hand
Let
God have mercy on me
Let
Him breathe life into me
Let
His goodness pierce me
And
my heart made of stone
Let
Him show me a bright way
And
give me enriching life
This
is what I pray every day!
Fill
me – my Lord!
To
Father – from your son.
OKPI
(Rzeszow, Poland)
Translated
by Joanna Wisniewska#
Damocles’
Sword
I
stand on the verge of a void
On
the precipice
Under
me – the bitterness that fills the chalice
Is
pouring out
Above
– Damocles’ sword hangs over me
I
bow my head
And
I am afraid
Of
the unknown and invisible
Kneeling
– I want to be pardoned
For
sins already done
For
guilt and offences
For
shaming my family
For
love shown to me
And
goodness, which still comes to me
To
my hard and horned heart
This
is what I pray for
Deep
in my soul
To
You – unknown Lord!
OKPI
(Rzeszow, Poland)
Translated
by Joanna Wisniewska
Standing
at the fork in the road
I
seek the better way
The
more I look, the more curved the roads become
The
less I understand the truth, the more I don’t understand the lies
People
– stand still
Where
is tolerance?
The
slogans were thrown on to walls
Today
I crave for one signpost of understanding,
Love
and forgiveness
Let
me stand on my own feet
Let
the tear appear in my eye,
Let
our hands shake in friendship
Let
the smile appear on my face
To
find the way
In
this snowstorm
This
is what I pray
Help
me, God!
OKPI
(Rzeszow, Poland)
Translated
by Joanna Wisniewska
