"Tiny bit of phoetry"
by Adam Tomaszewski
Legends
Everyone, at a certain point
in their life,
has something they would trade
their life for —
without a second of doubt.Fortunately, for most,
life doesn’t demand
such mighty actions
just to stay another day.But sometimes,
cruel fate expects full payment,
made with baskets of cries.We’ve seen many such moments
in humanity’s twisted time.Kings forced to let their families go
as a price
for their citizens’ peaceful
mornings and nights.Generals guiding their soldiers
to cruel, merciless ends,
seeing the bigger picture
through tear-filled eyes.Scientists thrown away
for their “foolish” ideas
that time itself
was not yet ready to accept.Parents choosing work
in faraway places
so their children
could have better choices
than they ever did.Lovers sacrificing their lives
with smiles on their faces,
and hope in their hearts,
so the other could live.Each of these payments is unique,
dictated by that mad and broken merchant
we call life.And yet, every single one
requires something
most can’t even imagine —believing
that your own well-being
is just a small stone
in the pond of life.
Torn Out Moments
When darkness takes the world
into its embrace,the moon wakes up
after resting all day.Predators start their hunt,
scaring prey back
into their little flats.Flowers close up,
avoiding the nosy gazes
of the stars.People turn off the lights
and happily welcome dreams,
waiting for another day.That’s when our minds
can truly shine —imagining things
they otherwise can’t.In this short stretch of time,
for most of us,
some create miracles
that can warm others,
even under the soaring sun.
Uninspiring
If I push my exquisite mind
to its absolute limits,
I could write that—the flower I caught a glimpse of
on my morning walk
was as beautiful as the morning sky,
in that moment when the moon
waves goodbye
and the sun takes its place,
casually wearing a dress
sewn from all the flowers
of the world.Or that, when I slowly opened my eyes,
escaping the warm embrace of dreams,
I met the most stunning woman
my gaze could ever fall upon.
I’ve seen her countless times
and rediscovered her infinitely.
Even after all that,
I’m still wholeheartedly stunned
when I meet her deep blue eyes.I could probably write
dozens of similarly beautiful lines.But what for?Life isn’t as wonderful or mystic
as many would like it to be.
It is painfully simple.
And dull.That’s why I choose to write about it
with the same passion —honestly,
and mostly uninspiring —
so everyone can see my vision
without fooling themselves.How wonderfully ordinary
flowers are.
One and Only
There is a girl called Lucky
by her peers.She lives in a world
where everyone is gifted
with some kind of ability.People can soar through the sky,
live underwater with the fishes,
walk through walls,
or teleport to faraway lands.Some superpowers, obviously,
are less stunning —
often dull,
even forgotten.Those with great powers
live at the top of the food chain,
becoming celebrities
or heroes of humanity.So what gift
did Lucky get?She can sense
where four-leaf clovers grow.No matter where she is,
no matter how many plants surround her,
she will always,
with godlike accuracy,
find one.Is it an amazing ability
compared to others?
The answer is no.Is it unique —
unheard of,
and one in a billion?
The answer is yes.And that’s all that matters
to Lucky —her unseen,
one-in-a-billion gift,
that is only hers.
Unknown
Just a short thought
among all these wonderful —
yet unimportant,
in the grand painting
of things — lines.How are we supposed to meet
that one person
everyone seems to wait for
their entire life?How do we find them
among all these fake faces
and hollow smiles?How do we ask
for just a tiny piece
of their precious time?How do we show them
that there’s more to us
than what meets the eye?How can we know
that the promises
and sweet phrases we speak
come straight from the heart?How can we be sure
this person
is exactly what
we’ve been searching for
all of our lives?How do we keep them
safe and whole
through the storm of life?How do we avoid hurting them
with actions
we never meant to harm?Maybe I’ll find some answers
at some unexpected time.For now,
I’m not even sure
if this is worth
any of my precious time.But if I do,
I promise —
I’ll write about it all,
so all of you
can be even more confused
than I already am.
Heroes in Hiding
You’ll find them
at every corner
of your life.In most cases,
we give those people
only a single glance —
the same kind we reserve
for the brightly dressed
or otherwise eye-catching individuals.That’s all they’re worth
in our minds.But there’s so much more
that never comes out.Take the always-tired lady
in wrinkled clothes,
the one you pass every morning
on the bus.She’s the sole provider
for her two little kids.
Her good-for-nothing husband
left long ago.
She works endless shifts
to afford what her children need —
and still, somehow,
she’s the best mother
they could ever want.Or remember that man
you noticed during your
last medical check-up?
The one sitting in a wheelchair,
pale and exhausted,
like a ghost
in clothes too big for him.A week ago, he got a call —
a polite voice told him
there was a stranger
in desperate need of a kidney.
He thought only once
before rushing to the hospital,
saving a life
he would never know.And that muscular, well-built man
you see working out
around the same time you do?He’s a firefighter.
Every day, he walks a thin line
between life and death
for the sake of others.
He rushes into burning houses
without doubt or hesitation,
snatching people
from death’s hands —
not for money,
not for glory,
but simply
because it feels right.So next time someone
catches your eye,
remember —
there’s a small chance
that for someone out there,
this person shines
brighter than the morning sun.
Broken world
I often wonder
when we, as humans,
went completely off the rails.Because how else can I describe
a time we’re forced
to survive?Every day brings news
that yet another country
has decided to go to war—without any concern
for people’s well-being
or their lives.I am well aware
that hatred is
a unique human trait.But why do so many of us
let it dominate
our wonderful minds?We look with suspicion
at everyone
slightly different from us.No matter how similar we are,
those small things
apparently set us
on two different sides.When did we become
so shallow and unfair
to each other—
at any time,
for any reason?We’ve even lost
the ability to honestly
speak our minds,
to say “I love you”
to anyone we want,to enjoy our lives
in all the colours
of the sky.We’ve painted our world
in greys and blacks,with only pain and misery
as the values
we see reflected
in the mirror
every day.
Synthetic Tomorrow
Tall skyscrapers
escape into the clouds
to challenge the stars.Bright neon lights
have won their fight
against the night,
driving away
his companion,
Darkness.Only a faint moon remains,
showing the signs
of humanity already
conquering the sky.Cars rush swiftly along
high-hung motorways.
Wheels? What are those?
No one uses them anymore.On the lower levels,
countless shops sell goods
from all around the world —
each loudly announcing the fairness
of their quality and price.Strangely dressed people wander safely.
Crimes no longer exist
in this ideal city.And yet, some strange urge
still drives them to fill
their flesh with steel.They roam the streets
without worries,
without goals.No need to break yourself with work —
everyone was assigned one
the day they were born.Illnesses don’t exist anymore.
All it takes is one pill,
and your body resets instantly.Accidents never occur —
how could they,
under the protective gaze
of their Father?It is his accomplishment
that humanity has come so far.Humans live and die
without worry,
in the wonderful cities
spread across the world.Father will soon defeat death —
surely, in the near future.And the price
for all his kindness?Just a few
unimportant feelings
in these perfect times.Who needs ambition
when there’s nothing left
to strive for?Who needs passion
when there’s nothing
to pour it into?Who needs fear
when there’s nothing
to be afraid of?Who needs love
when there’s nothing
left to lose?Who needs happiness
when there’s no place for it
in this ideal creation
of Father’s dreams?Only Father can still dream.
People don’t need to —
they already have
everything
anyone could ever want.
About a Certain Feeling
The simplest lie
is enough to make
you blush.Single gentle touch
can completely
ease your mind.Silent whispers
have the power
to refill your
body and soul.You feel butterflies
in your stomach
from an
unintentional glance.A short,
almost unnoticeable “hi”
makes your heart
race fast.But even the most
wonderful of affairs
can hurt you like
nothing else
ever could.The smallest lie
can make you feel
the pain of
burning alive.Single rough touch
can turn your mind
into a dissolving wreck.Hidden whispers
have the power
to drain
your happiness
and trust.You feel incurably sick
from a deliberate stare.The lack of
a meaningful “hi”
makes your heart
grow numb.Like day has two sides:
one shining
and full of warmth,
the other dark
and filled with cries.
Hope
When you lose
the one person
who understood you
without words,
between the lines,she is there
so you don’t feel
left alone.When your thoughts
become shapeless
and hidden in greys,she brings you
brushes and
all the colours
of paint.When the only feeling
left in you
is this relentless
grief of the past,she pushes you
towards tomorrow,
softening
what lies behind.When pain takes over
your already broken
mind and scratches
your damaged soul,she helps you
recover
and gives you time
to heal.She is always
there for you,
even in moments
when you can’t see her
behind all
these rainy clouds.She will stay
with you
until the end of time
and support you
in the darkest
of moments.No matter
how broken
or miserable
you might think
you are,she just wants you
to believe in yourself,
to believe
that there are
many wonders waiting
for you
in your troublesome
and complicated life.
Unrecognisable Routine
The same ancient clock,
happily announcing
seven o’clock.The same electric kettle
dancing softly
while the water inside
begins to boil.The same window,
showing the usual
street and houses.The same man
in a black, ironed suit,
but with just
a little more grey hair.The same kid
playing around
with his ball,
but maybe a little taller.The same ginger cat
jumping on the
old neighbour’s fence,
but with a little less power.The same ham
cut into tiny squares,
tasting just
as it used to.The same black bread,
hard, yet softening
in the mouth.The same black coffee,
raw and tingly,
just the way he loved it.The same dishes
waiting impatiently
in the sink after
a small morning feast.But what about
this painful
feeling in her chest?It seems old,
and yet somehow new
at the same time.Why, when everything
is the same,
does she not
feel the same
at all?Why is there only
one plate,
one cup,
one knife
and one fork
in the sink—when they used
to come in pairs?
Rays of Happiness
Sometimes you can
encounter truly mysterious
momentsin your otherwise
boring and indifferent
life.When the sun shines
at a perfect angle,
and for a moment
you get lost
in thought
while observing clouds.When you find your favourite
candy left abandoned
at the bottom of your
long-forgotten bag.When you discover
that one perfectly
comfortable spot
while you wriggle
in the middle
of the night.When, even though
she’s looked at you
a thousand times,
she still has
that same spark
in her beautiful eyes.When the grass
on your way home
seems greener
than it usually is
on unnoticeable days.When your favourite movie
still surprises you,
even after you’ve learned
the entire script
front to back.When the right song
happens to play at
the perfect time,
without your help at all.When you feel
like everything
is going to be fine,for a brief moment,
forgetting about
the rest of life.These small moments of light—
so delicate, like flowers,
rare as falling stars,
not to be wasted,
not even a tiny one.When just about everything
feels like it’s all
going to be more than fine.
Loneliness
It hits you
at your best,making those
so rare and
precious moments
buried in pain…Finds you
at your lowest,hammering more
bloodied needles
into your already
hurting back.It can visit you
in comforting dark,or in the warm
and loving embrace
of light.You can try
to hide it,
bury it in the
deepest regions
of your tired mind,put it under
the assuring blanket
of lies.It will wait,
searching for
the perfect time,keeping calm,
watching from afar
to ease your brain.But it will
never disappear.Just don’t get mistaken
that you left it
in the passage of time.It will for sure
knock at your doors,
in the worst moments
of your miserable life.
Unsolvable Generation
Living stuck
in the future,
but dreaming
of the past,Having
so many dreams,
but no time
to chase them all,Dearly loving people,
but having
no one close
by the end
of it all,Expressing ourselves
however we can,
but keeping
true thoughts
hidden between bars.One coin with
too many sides.One world with
no meaning at all.One book with
its finale on top.Many directions
with no signs
to survive
this mess of life.Zero adjectives
describe
us all.
Not Today
I must apologize,
but there will be no
new poems today.I just know that
nothing inspiring
would come from my
overwhelmed-by-life
mind.You see,
to write meaningful lines,
your eyes must see the world
in a different matter
than anyone else can.For example, this man
in a normal person’s gaze
would be described
in the following way:A tall, slightly overweight male,
close to thirty years old,
with an unshaved beard
and green eyes,
a normal nose,
wearing a black T-shirt,
blue jeans, and white sneakers.While a poet, after seeing
the same man, would write
something like this:One morning I saw a tired-looking man,
with all the happiness
stolen from his life.
He was staring aimlessly ahead
with his dead emerald eyes,
walking like a corpse
to his hated job,
just to afford something
more than thrown-away bread.I feel like a totally dull
and empty shell of a poet today.And that’s why
I can’t write anything good for now.All I see around me are
colors,
shapes,
and external appearances.I don’t notice people’s souls
or feelings.Based on that,
my autistic mind
writes all of that
which I usually
torment you with.
World in need
Let’s revive poetry,
just you and me.In today’s shallow,
often fake world,
filled with obscure
and plain thoughts,people need something
to remind them of things
they normally ignore.Truth is scary —
and often painful to face —
but replacing it
with beautiful lies
isn’t the way to go.That’s why poetry
is needed now.To show things too painful
to be seen,
usually hidden
from the eyes.To reveal beauty
lost beneath appearances
and a carpet of lies.To show happiness
that doesn’t come
from numbers
rising on your account.We need to remind the world
that life isn’t only about
what we can see
with our eyes.We must open our minds
and temper our hearts
to the possibilities
buried deeply
beneath the surface
of our own minds.