1862 Lipuska Huta - 1882 Winona
In the end I was more American than Polish
Brought here just after my baptism,
Far better if we had all just stayed home in Lipusz
Which, as I was always told, was delightful.
Certainly I never would have strayed in Lipusz,
A pretty, well mannered girl with every chance
Of attracting a handsome hard-working farmer.
No, cooped up inside the bustling city
Penned up in the schoolhouse
Learning to speak English as if
I had been born here, while the boys my age
Dropped out to work in the sawmills.
They looked to me at Sunday Mass
Like little old men, aged before their time
Like a patch of flowers, forgotten on the field's edge
Just before the big plow of life cuts them down
Once and for all.
I craved beauty, so I worked for nice families
In nice houses, and was considered a good girl.
But I knew not how to look out for myself
(I could hardly ask my Mother) and began
To keep fast company, while my earnest suitor
Who reeked of lumber no matter how long he bathed
Presented me with a ring, and spoke to me of our marriage.
It was then I learned of my condition. One of the girls
From the Tremont Hotel suggested I swallow eyedrops.
I tried, but Ahrens the druggist would not sell me any.
On the other hand, when I told him
That my house (what house) had rats
He was happy to sell me some strychnine.
I had given the ring back and made my peace with life.
I poured the poison into my coffee
And waited for eternity to claim me.
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