Maria Jastrzebska
Après l’accident
gendarmes in riot gear are
gentille to us. Cicadas trill
in the roadside scrub. Sirens trail off.
Les pompiers tell us stories about rescuing
kittens from trees which are amusant.
Other holidaymakers glance at us
furtively, thanking God it wasn’t them.
We are at the centre of everything.
Very handsome doctors and nurses
pass in and out, kissing each other on the cheek,
exclaim, when they meet. We wait;
watch them eating their brioches for lunch.
Then the panoramic view from the hospital doors:
mountains sprawl before us
lazy as big cats, impossibly close
filling the whole sky
they make us catch our breath,
for the second time that day.
Born in Warsaw, Poland, Maria Jastrzebska grew up in the UK. She is the author of Postcards from Poland and Other Correspondences (Working Press.) Her poems and translations have appeared widely in anthologies and magazines, recently including Parents (Enitharmon) and her work appears in the 2002 One Heart One World International Exhibition, touring UK, Japan and USA.
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