Freezing
when somewhere toward dusk it chills
the ridges
most of the tenement houses
frost will weave itself
into the already congealed torsos of trees
and into the body of a bird
into the moon’s snow-glass breath
frosting the tiled necks of roofs
into the branches of arteries in which blood
resinous in the park
pulses like cooled anger.
Bernard Łętowski
-21 °C
under the frozen eyelid of night the market square is made of barely glimmering lights and the town hall darkens its neck in the darkness in the drizzle of blackened dusk dots
like cold metal an icy scab a cry can turn into a cradle it will not awaken therefore the madman’s howl of sleeping bodies in the bowels of tenement houses
Bernard Łętowski
Interrogation after S. Barańczak, Fill in legibly.
Name and surname? Bernard Łętowski. Born? Yes. Where, when and why? In Bolesławiec, 20 years ago, why is not yet clear. Relatives abroad? Yes. Do you, keep in touch with... Yes, gladly. Do you write letters to yourself? Occasionally. Do you use the telephone? Sometimes, when necessary. Do you nourish hatred, and with what? With fellow human beings. Where do you obtain the means to keep yourself in the bounds of disobedience? He steals other people’s ideas. Is he the owner of a fixed asset of fear? Yes. Knowledge of foreign bodies and languages? Polish only. Orders, decorations, marks? Not yet. State of civic courage" Next question. Does he intend to have children? State of civic courage poor...
Testified by Bernard Łętowski (legible signature)
Bernard Łętowski
was born on 28 February 1976 in Bolesławiec. He is a graduate of the Economic Secondary School (Maj. II. Sucharski Vocational School Complex in Bolesławiec). He is currently studying Polish philology at the Teacher Training College in Wałbrzych. He made his debut in the pages of "cogito" (issue 41), where several of his poems were published. They won the appreciation of the Polish Radio editorial team (Programme II), which presented selected poems by this talented young poet from Różyniec in the broadcasts "Time for a Debut" by L. Janion and "Poems from Newspapers and Periodicals" by W. Tkaczuk. I am convinced that very soon his star in the sky full of poetry will become visible and will shine ever more brightly, and that the modest publication by the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre promoting His poems (entitled "Freezing") will turn into his first volume of poetry. I wish him this with all my heart.
Stanisław Graczyk