Grzegorz Wroblewski's new digital chapbook Carps

Half Day Moon Press is happy to announce the release of poet Grzegorz Wroblewski's new digital chapbook Carps (No. 21 in its digital chapbook series). Written in English, the work has come into even fuller fruition with some language assistance from Adam Zdrodowski, the translator of Wroblewski's A Marzipan Factory (Otoliths, 2010).

Wroblewski offers us a subtly alternative approach to the cynicism and disaffection that are all too easily adopted in this troubled age. The poet holds a mirror to what is, as it is, unflinchingly, and yet, not without vulnerability. Instead of casting Yeats' "cold eye on life, on death," Wroblewski meets the absurdities of our human predicament of being thrown into this rapidly changing world with wonder and an almost innocent astonishment. Although at times taking a step back to get a better look at us, Wroblewski never forgets that he is one of us as he holds his mirror also to himself. Having grown up in Warsaw and lived most of his adult life in Copenhagen, it comes as no surprise that he can skillfully toggle between the vantages of a close comrade and that of the outsider. Both are useful perspectives to have. This being said, here are two of his poems from the new collection:

Google

You amaze me. I had no idea

you grew mushrooms

and could heal people from schizophrenia

and cancer with the touch of your hand.

There must have been a misunderstanding.

I don’t know anything about that.

I probably have a pretty common

name.

Epidemic of Populism

Tomato soup is the best. I disagree, only

mushroom soup makes any sense.

It’s absurd, you should only eat cucumber

soup.

And I believe that soups are only allowed

if you abstain from drinking alcohol.

One person died and three were injured.

The Sphinx is hiding something mysterious from us.

We are not the first civilization on Earth.

(See also Wroblewski's work in HDMP No. 14 and HDMJ N. 3.)