The Poetry of Wieslaw Nowak - Lonely headstone

My father, Wieslaw S. W. Nowak, was born in Poland in 1936. The German invasion in 1939 forced his family to uproot and cross the border into Russia. There they wandered through the steppes, often sustaining themselves for days on boiled grass. Eventually they were able to relocate to then-Palestine were his father was serving as an officer in the Polish-English allied forces. Following the war, Wieslaw and his family moved to London. In England he nurtured a love of poetry, many of his Polish writings being published. A gifted student, he studied geography and obtained a doctorate from the University of London. Briefly lecturing at the University of Portsmouth and the City of London Polytechnic, he soon accepted a position at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He served on faculty for over 30 years, directing his research towards marine geography and fisheries-related subjects. As his health faded, he returned his attention to poetry, now writing most frequently in English. He passed at on June 2, 2003 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Over the course of the next year I intend to reproduce some of my father’s writings. Many of his writings reflect the sorrow and struggles of his early war-ravaged life. Others are blissful and filled with the joys of later-found freedom. All reflect his deep-rooted faith. I hope his work is able to touch your heart, brighten your day or simply inspire thought.

Lonely headstone

Why a lily, perfume blossom shining?
Why a flower rosy, sky pink so calm?
Entwine not silk-green ivy, sad blossom,
in summer sky were dipped the blooms of morn.
I cared for you, whispered she. Petal fell.
I did protect you, said he. A twig dipped.
Oh, how I liked your talk! Warbler silenced.
I so much loved you – dripped out the dew drops.
LORD! said they sadly, are the words denied?
Earthwards kneel the buttercups on this soil,
dandelion carpets cover silence;
Many flowers wilted, said their conscience,
it has been years, since for that one we prayed.

- Wieslaw S. W. Nowak (1936 – 2003), Paradise, October 3, 1992

Not to be reproduced without permission