The Interior
We gather around the machine,
looking down at the fallen trunk,
with little hope of being able
to put it all back together.
The grandfather had the tools,
and the skills,
but he bequeathed none to us.
The sand under our feet
is orange red,
and the tangle of wires sticking
out of the metal casing
resembles the guts
of an animal sacrifice.
We go back –
the temperature outside
will start rising soon.
Michał Choiński teaches literature at the Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland). His debut poetry chapbook Gifts Without Wrapping was published by Hedgehog Press in 2019 as a winner of a competition. Currently, he is at Yale University, as a Fulbright Fellow, writing his third academic book. Website: https://michalchoinski.com/