You

By Claudia Wysocky

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I thought that if I were a better person, then maybe things would go better for me.
I thought that if I were a better person, then maybe I’d be happy.
I don’t know what I want anymore.
I saw that I had a test today.

What’s the point?

I saw you across the sea
and wondered why someone was looking so sad.
I am not brave, but I felt a lump in my throat.
How to explain a broken heart? To even explain it at all?
But words...I am empty and full.
I did not know you, but I felt like I did.
I wanted to tell you, "I want you to be happy."
But all I could do was feel.
I cannot think,
though I do.
I won't close my eyes if I'm awake—because sleep is not a problem anymore.
The rest of the world is shapeless, though—I hoped you would fill it in some way.

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Claudia Wysocky, a Polish writer and poet based in New York, is known for her diverse literary creations, including fiction and poetry. She authored All Up in Smoke, published by Anxiety Press. With over five years of writing experience, Claudia's work has been featured in local newspapers, magazines and even literary journals like WordCityLit and Lothlorien Poetry Journal. Her writing is powered by her belief in art's potential to inspire positive change. Claudia also shares her personal journey and love for writing on her own blog, and she expresses her literary talent as an immigrant raised in post-communism Poland.

Claudia's other work on Foreshadow:
The Seventh Column (Poetry, July 2024)