Sacred and Scared
About this book
Poetry. "Counterpointing scenes from Poland to California, from village to city, family to politics, WWII to the present, this amazing book creates a vision of grace and redemption in the face of a world often gone insane. To find its moments of grace requires a rare vision and poetic power, and Gregorek certainly possesses that. In one poem a priest is killed, his body thrown into 'the river we drink from,' creating a simultaneous sense of communion and horror. But blunt reality is never denied, as with the woman who was 'walked for some minutes into the nearby forest / where a hole was already dug.' Yet in the midst of a world where memories can 'scratch' at one's soul, Gregorek creates lyrical and evocative moments that transcend everything, for this is a poet who can observe how 'inside me now / there is this rain / of trees.' This compelling book is more than a witness—it is transformative."—Richard Jackson