“I’m only 17”
I’ve never believed in the afterlife,
never believed that the body is a mere vessel,
a shell to be discarded—
this is as close to death as I’ve ever come:
a Sunday morning in late May at 5:30,
my mother in her room, my father in his.
I put on my coat and step outside. The air is damp;
it has rained all night long. It breaks my heart to leave them here,
alone with their sorrow and their pain. But what can I do?
I’m only seventeen.
Poem by Claudia Wysocky
Image by Adam Strong
Claudia Wysocky, a Polish poet based now in New York, is known for her ability to capture the beauty of life through rich descriptions in her writing. She firmly believes that art has the potential to inspire positive change. With over five years of experience in fiction writing, Claudia has had her poems published in local newspapers and magazines. For her, writing is an endless journey and a powerful source of motivation.
Backwards Trajectory 