"If porcelain, then only the kind" Stanisław Barańczak

If porcelain, then only the kind

you won’t miss under the shoe of a mover or the tread of a tank;

if a chair, then not too comfortable, lest

there be regret in getting up and leaving;

if clothing, then just so much as can fit in a suitcase,

if books, then those which can be carried in the memory,

if plans, then those which can be overlooked

when the time comes for the next move

to another street, continent, historical period

or world:

who told you that you were permitted to settle in?

who told you that this or that would last forever?

did no one ever tell you that you will never

in the world

feel at home in the world?