Tag: stanza

In that magical moment just before bed

Published on by Maciej ModzelewskiLeave a comment

So many have said so much so far that, in all likelihood, I can only add a thing
or two at most to the canon—though this bromide is unlikely to cut it—yet I still
meticulously compose a stanza every day, as if it were supposed to fix something.

Who knows, maybe I should try my hand at songwriting, or perhaps epitaphs
could become my thing. After all, most of us are more likely to listen to the radio
or visit loved ones at a graveyard than, even in that magical moment just before bed,

reach for a book of poetry.

an oil painting showing a man looking at the sea

Journal (The sound of the waves)

Published on by Maciej Modzelewski1 Comment

What do you do when you realise you are not going to be a great poet one day? After thirty years of writing poetry, you finally give up, make a note of it in your journal, and move on. Simple as that. After all, there is more to life than putting together a stanza, even a great one. And if, in your case, it’s decent at best, what’s the point? Instead of wasting hours in your room trying to find the right onomatopoeia, wouldn’t it be better to listen to the sound of the waves while walking on the beach?

watercolour with a clock, notes, a cup of tea and a cookie on the table

In the hour of my death

Published on by Maciej Modzelewski4 Comments

In the hour of my death, I did something insignificant,
as I often would. A book fell to the floor, bending the pages,
which I never liked. A stillborn note cut off mid-sentence
never got a chance to become a stanza. A cup of tea gone cold
and a half-eaten cookie—not even a madeleine—that at best
could remind someone of my cholesterol problems were waiting
to be thrown away. Only the clock, as always, marked the passing
moments with its regular tick-tock. In the hour of my death,
I did something insignificant because, in the end, I was taken
by surprise again.