Made in Cosmos

Poems

I prayed for language
To sing out loud this joy confusion 
And bliss

Now I’m back here
And words don’t make any sense

Why of all things I chose language
I have no idea

  • Dancing forever

    You seem to sit still
    But inside

    Every single atom
    Is dancing

    What’s there to be
    Afraid of

    They’ve been dancing
    Like this

    Since they came from
    The stars

    And they’ll keep on
    Dancing forever

  • Grandmother

    Grandmother
    The kids are running amok
    Scared of every twig snap
    Every flickering shadow

    They’d set the jungle on fire
    Just so that they would never
    Fear of darkness again

    Grandmother
    Take all your kids back home
    Before one cuts off the branch
    We are all growing on

  • Supernova

    The world as we knew
    Erupted in a
    Supernova

    The world as we don’t know
    Might soon come
    To birth

    Ash and dust in the air
    Shimmer like
    Summer fairies

    Singing of all the things
    That once were
    Or might have been

  • Mara

    Are you all right
    Making those
    Obnoxious faces

    Shrieking cries
    Ferocious insults
    Hysteric roar

    I don’t recall asking
    You to come but since
    You’re here already

    Let’s sit down and
    Have some chamomile
    Tea together

    I might as well try to
    Learn something
    From you

  • Pink glitter ribbon

    Come with me
    To the riverbank

    Bring all your
    Precious treasures

    All of your
    Deepest wounds

    Everything that was
    And could have been

    Let’s wrap it all up with a
    Pink glitter ribbon

    And let it sail away
    Towards the Ocean

    It’s time we make some space
    For something new

  • Tell me

    Tell me, what is it you’re called
    Myself I’m not called at all
    Myself I’m not called at all
    I’m just picking marigolds

    Tell me, what’s your real name
    I have very many names
    Booboo now and Choochoo then
    I have very curious names

    Tell me, are you young or old
    I’m very many years old
    I am very few years old
    I’m a whole world years old

    I’m a whole world years old

    ***

    This is my translation of “Powiedz, jak ty się nazywasz” by Danuta Wawiłow, Polish poet and children’s author.

    Ania Broda set these words to music, which has recently become my favorite song. I wanted to share this beauty with the English-speaking world, including the original rhythm and rhyme structure. My translation isn’t as smooth as the original Polish version, but it’s still singable. Now I kinda have no choice but to record an English version of the song…

  • Lullaby

    Your roots
    Reaching deep
    Down to the core
    Of how things are

    Your embrace
    Keeps me grounded
    Through wind and
    Thunderstorms

    I’ll build us
    A cozy nest
    Among the
    Topmost branches

    And sing you
    A lullaby
    Of galaxies
    Far away

  • Excuse me

    Excuse me
    Is there an
    Adult onboard?

    Cause our spaceship
    Seems to be
    On fire

    And we haven’t 
    Been trained
    To deal with this

    I’d love to help
    But this is 
    Above my paygrade

    And I’m surely
    Going to
    Screw this up

    What do you mean
    Nobody knows
    What we should do now

  • Strawberry jelly

    What
    On Earth
    Was I thinking

    When I chose to
    Communicate
    In words

    They only obscure
    An already
    Cloudy matter

    Now words lost their meanings
    Meanings lost meanings
    Nothing means anything
    Anymore

    We’re wrestling in
    Strawberry jelly
    Of interpretations

  • Castles in clouds

    Our castles
    Are not even built on sand

    They’re floating up in the clouds
    Of interstellar dust

    Please
    Leave your magnificent chambers
    And join me on the rooftop tonight

    We’re gonna get hopelessly dizzy
    Staring at billions of suns