An 19 year old Pol

Fresh off the Boat

Arrives with her husband

Carrying a suitcase and empty pockets

She works multiple jobs

She wants this life bad

Gazing in the mirror and all she can see is

The girl from Białka

A new mother

She bore her first

Her daughter is only 9 months

Perfect in her eyes

Even though the child is sick

And hospital bills stack up

With her husband’s arm around her

They stand in the cemetery

She catches a glimpse of her reflection in the casket

A girl she’s almost forgotten

Someone she can only see in her own eyes

The girl from Białka

Her second child

As cute as ever

Welcomes her new baby sister

With a blink of an eye

Yet again, she sees that same reflection

But strangely finds comport

Her two little angels will have one another

She hears the voice in her prayers

The girl from Białka

A woman and no college education

Works her way to the top

She gazes at the bank’s enterance

A little fish in a big pond

It’s what she’s dreamed of

While the words don’t come easy

This isn’t the language she’s spoken all her life

The girl from Białka

Her only child, an honors student

First in their family to have a Doctor’s degree

Marries a fine young man

And brings three children into the world

Grandma happily watches the children grow

She sees a familiar glimmer in her daughter's eyes

The girl from Białka

After 39 years she retires

And looks back on her life

Through all the losses

Through all the pain

Through all she has endured

She wishes to go back in time

To hold that girl from Białka

To let her know

“While the pain may linger, things will get better

And you will push through it

Because there’s so much more to life”.

We remember the things

Deep within our heart

No matter who we are

We remember our start

Regardless of your status in life

Don’t lose who you originally are

Be who you were born to be

The girl from Białka

Is always a part of me