Funny

　

　

• What's it like to be a human
• the bird asked

　

• I myself don't know
• it's being held prisoner by your skin
• while reaching infinity
• being a captive of your scrap of time
• while touching eternity
• being hopelessly uncertain
• and helplessly hopeful
• being a needle of frost
• and a handful of heat
• breathing in the air
• and choking wordlessly
• it's being on fire
• with a nest made of ashes
• eating bread
• while filling up on hunger
• it's dying without love
• it's loving through death

　

• That's funny said the bird
• and flew effortlessly up into the air

　

　

— ANNA KAMIEŃSKA, trans. Clare Cavanagh & Stanisław Barańczak.