Alter Ego

I recently purchased a collection of poems from Paraclete Press, called Astonishments by Polish poet, Anna Kamienska. Thumbing through it this week, I found this delightful poem. I don't know much about the poet or the translator or the playwright whose work sparked this poem, but I relate to the message. I'll bet you will, too. (The book is out of print, but Paraclete Press has put the entire work in pdf format online.)

Alter Ego

by Anna Kamienska

One day I decided to invent a poet

who would write instead of me

and would also instead of me agonize over not writing

somewhat pathetic

somewhat ordinary he wouldn't feel ashamed 

of apostrophes exclamations points

he could at the same time look at the world

through my eyes and eyes not mine

for they make us rigid fix us

in what should be changeable

full of surprises like time

I wished to leave myself

without ceasing to be me

Did anyone ever manage it

I laughed like the bride in The Wedding

     Enter oh ghost

A certain homeless ghost did accept the invitation 

incarnated within my darkness

and making himself comfortable declared

     I'm great at silence

**The Wedding is a poetic play by Stanislaw Wypianski (1869-1907) built around the image of th wedding feast, a Walpurgian-like dance with ghosts.

And of course, April is National Poetry Month. I have a project that has been sitting in the wings for some time. I've set aside April for my alter ego to work consistently on it. I might post an update on my progress, but I'm not ready to make it public.  So I'll be working quietly this month.

I will be participating in the Kidslitosphere Progressive Poem. And I will post on Poetry Fridays, sharing some of my favorite adult poet friends that you might like to know.

Amy hosts the roundup today at The Poem Farm.