A Daily Dose of Art: “Transformation” by Adam Zagajewski

During my AWC conference session today, I used the poem below to help participants explore different aspects of the writing life.

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Transformation
By Adam Zagajewski
Translated by Clare Cavanagh

I haven’t written a single poem
in months.
I’ve lived humbly, reading the paper,
pondering the riddle of power
and the reasons for obedience.
I’ve watched sunsets
(crimson, anxious),
I’ve heard the birds grow quiet
and night’s muteness.
I’ve seen sunflowers dangling
their heads at dusk, as if a careless hangman
had gone strolling through the gardens.
September’s sweet dust gathered
on the windowsill and lizards
hid in the bends of walls.
I’ve taken long walks,
craving one thing only:
lightning,
transformation,
you.

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I love this poem so much.

Zagajewski’s poems are prayers for me. Most poems are prayers for me. Thank God for poems.

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Below is a video of Adam Zagajewski on the power of poetry, including a reading of “Try to Praise the Mutilated World” and a 14-minute video from the Polish Cultural Institute in New York, “Adam Zagajewski, a Distinct Poet.”

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What do you think? Please share your thoughts on this poem/topic or a glimpse into one of your recent doses of art in the comments below.

“Transformation” from WITHOUT END: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS by Adam Zagajewski, translated by several translators. Copyright © 2002 by Adam Zagajewski. Translation copyright © 2002 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.