It’s Election month, thus I pondered what poem to offer up. Anna Świrszczyńska
(a.k.a., Anna Swir)! Yes! A Polish poet (1909 -1984), she joined the Resistance movement
during the Nazi occupation of Poland. In 1974 she published Building the Barricade, a volume
about the suffering she experienced during WWII. Despite unimaginable atrocities she
witnessed, her work shines with clarity, unstinting honesty, and directness.

Her poetry helps me meet my own fears. Swir’s “tender miniworlds,” fortify me so I can turn
toward whatever realities I may face. So, friends, I give you two exceptional poems to comfort
you and fuel the courage and strength to orient to love. Nothing matters more.
Absolutely nothing. Z miłością, Krayna

 

There is a Light in Me
Whether in daytime or in nighttime
I always carry inside
a light.
In the middle of noise and turmoil
I carry silence.
Always
I carry light and silence. 

 

To That Which Is Most Important
Were I able to shut
My eyes, ears, legs, hands
And walk into myself
For a thousand years,
Perhaps I would reach
—I do not know its name—
what matters most. 

 

By Anna Świrszczyńska, from Talking to My Body 
Copyrighted material; for non-profit purposes only. 

Check out the gigantic archive of poems on my website: www.clearlenscoaching.com/poems/