At The Seaside

Rafal Zabratynski (1,3,5) and Collin Barber (2,4,6)


gentle waves
a stick rocks
up and down

cigarette butts
amidst the shells

stroll for two
the evening breeze
pilfers her scent

shoreline calming—
a puddle of sunlight
on the jellyfish

an empty beach
if not for me?

lull of tides—
I stare at the sun
with my eyes closed



Frogpond XXXII:2, spring/summer 2009




Polish translation provided by Rafal Zabratynski:


NAD MORZEM



łagodne fale
patyk się buja
to w górę to w dół

niedopałki
pośród muszelek

spacer we dwoje
wieczorna bryza
podkrada jej zapach

spokojny brzeg —
słoneczna kałuża
na meduzie

pusta plaża
gdyby nie ja?

cisza między pływami —
gapię się na słońce
przez zamknięte oczy




Rafal Zabratynski (RaV) lives in Rzeszow, Poland, where he teaches English in a middle school.  Creating haiku and mountain trekking are his favorite ways of admiring the world.  Since 2005, RaV has been running his website, Wordographs, where visitors can peruse Polish and English versions of his haiku, senryu, haiga, and rengay.