After the storm, to find a shelter
amongst the restless natives
of l’esprit de l’escalier,
to put on a brave face
while running laps on a treadmill,
to stay preoccupied
with mingling,
to leave unpaid debts
so as to be remembered
as a fine fellow, courtesy of none…
It’s time to age, I presume,
even if I can’t always be salient—
I am not Lear or Godot,
not even Gantenbein—
and I’m no longer read as much.
More words to ponder at maciejmodzelewski.com
When the mind needs a change of scenery,
all you need is a camera obscura
and a list of rice cultivars,
or you can always expand your collection
of smooth utterances
like, ‘I recognise that nature is unforgiving,
but I would say that a butcher is a necessity,
while a zoo, a circus and a fishbowl are the harbingers
of the true cruelty’—after all, it requires impeccable table manners to swallow
your every l’esprit de l’escalier
without choking.
More words to ponder at maciejmodzelewski.com
