Polski
Issue 5/2025, News
Life on the shore – poetry submerged in water
Mar
I’m interested in the direct experience of the coastal zone, and only later possibly in reflection,” says Leszek Naziemiec, author of a volume of poems inspired by life at the interface of land and water.
Swimmer, traveler, poet – Leszek Naziemiec immerses himself not only in the waves, but also in words. His poetry is born out of his closeness to the sea, pulsates with the rhythm of the waves and carries echoes of extreme expeditions, during which body and water melt into one – a boundless dialogue of the elements. His work is like the tide – it brings images, sounds and emotions, resonating with those who feel the rhythm of nature.
Swimming that leads to the word
Leszek Naziemiec, a regular contributor to Water Matters, is not only a pediatric physiotherapist and psychologist, but also a passionate adventure swimmer. He has swum the icy waters of Alaska, South America and Antarctica, and three years ago moved to the island of Wolin to be closer to the sea. As he says, swimming has allowed him to experience a deep connection with nature, which has become one of the main motifs of his work – both journalistic and poetic.
Poetry with waves in the background
Leszek Naziemc’s latest collection of poems – Life on the Shore can be downloaded free of charge as an e-book: click here. This volume is not only a record of words, but also of images – photographs taken on the island of Wolin and Rügen by Tomasz Wozniczka complement the poetic message. Anna Wozniczka is responsible for the graphic design, giving the whole a coherent, artistic form.
We would also like to remind you that in 2024 Leszek Naziemec’s first book of poetry was published, entitled. “The Estuary”, each copy of which was handmade in Magda Stróżek’s studio. Partially recycled materials were used to create the publication, which further emphasizes his connection with nature and fits in with the idea of harmony with the environment, present in both words and images. Can poems reflect the rhythm of the waves? In the case of Leszek Naziemiec – certainly.
From the volume The Estuary
***
On Danish radio they said:
hvalen svømmer,
Which probably means that a whale is swimming.
I ground coffee, but did not grind it.
I got in the car and after a while
I was on the beach.
You can’t see it yet.
***
***
My bird is a tern.
It covers large spaces.
It is slender and subtle.
It’s just that a seagull loves me.
He looks lustfully at my eye,
When I lie motionless.
***
From the volume Life on the Shore
***
I can look back.
It doesn’t scare me anymore
city structure.
Fenced space.
Bell towers of churches.
Channelized rivers.
Slave Schools.
I will do justice:
city is effective.
***
***
Easy to say,
That the city is an ulcer.
Emanation of the rocky desert.
Monster of the Flooded Valleys.
But after all, it constitutes
element of the natural order,
Just like a black hole.
***
***
Sometimes it’s easy to say,
What is good and what is bad.
But people entangled in the city
are trying to function somehow.
They sweeten the coffee, can the feelings
and buy for them in a row
quarters in cemeteries.
***
***
What is the sea humming about?
About nothing.
What does the raven symbolize?
Nothing.
Flies over water
And returns to the treetops.
***
