Agnieszka Filipek is a Polish–born poet living in Ireland. Her work has been published worldwide. Her poems have appeared in Amsterdam Quarterly, Capsule Stories, Channel, Local Wonders Anthology, Lucent Dreaming, Black Bough Poetry, Crannóg, The Blue Nib, Chrysanthemum, Writing Home: The ‘New Irish’ Poets Anthology, Marble Poetry Magazine, and elsewhere.
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remember that summer when
we found an old box with dusty lavender
on the windowsill in that rented
room with a view in Provence
we threw it away
not knowing any better
in the morning as my foot
touched the white floor I saw
scorpions surrounding the bed
my screams must have woken
up the whole street
the housekeeper barged into the room
swept the scorpions off the ground
and threw them out the window
she waved her kitchen cloth at us
shouting something in French
none of us understood
then she pulled a box of lavender
out of the basket bin and put it
back on the windowsill with a smile
CAFÉ
I’m sitting in a café
waiting for inspiration
a young waiter brings me
coffee and smiles
suddenly we’re in the stockroom
my back pressed hard against the shelves
the aroma of coffee fills the air
and I breathe it in deeply
together with his scent
he asks politely
would you like anything else
so I lick my lips and tilt my head
but my knee hits something
I open my eyes
and then I realize that
I’m still sitting at my table
the waiter stands in front of me
with a bill in his hand
SUNFLOWERS
I will give you sunflowers
they will rest in a vase
as painted by Van Gogh
And you will admire them
like a painting in a gallery
which will remind you of me
CLEMENTINE
find me in the orange garden
help my lonely heart to ripen
pick me down ready to eat
make my happiness complete
peel me from my orange skin
until I’m young and smooth again
take each layer off carefully
leave me fresh and wrinkle free
cover me with morning dew
so I’ll taste honey sweet for you
divide me into equal pieces
not with a knife but your caresses
Poetry in this post: © Agnieszka Filipek
Published with the permission of Agnieszka Filipek