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Yesterday's Bread

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On Sunday, we sell Yesterday's bread at Just £2 a loaf. It's soft and sagging But it will do; pop It in the oven, Good as new. On Sunday, the girls Look like yesterday's Party. In they come, Makeup piled as high, As buttery and Sugar-dusted, as The cinnamon rolls. In they come, diet Coke in the one hand, Hangover in the Other. They dump both On the side, test the Mood, can't wait to tell Of last night: drunken And lewd. To work, girls! Coffee grinds, tamps, drips. Milk pours, steams, pours. did I tell you when...? Trays serve, cloths wipe, and Plates are soaked, washed, dried. did you hear about...? The till girl smiles and Holds her tongue. Oh, damn this job! All would rather Another One. The bread lies Unchosen: Past its prime, Yesterday's Prize.  Gone is its Knife-like crust, Fulsome bust. Unbought, it's left  Sprinkled with, Not flour, but Dust. Someone bursts into song. Someone bitches about The managers. Someone Checks their lip liner in Any shiny surface....
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Buns, Bigos, and Beauty. Polish Success Stories in Post-Brexit Britain

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Ten years since Britain’s decision to leave the EU, the country is far from better off. Poland, on the other hand, is wealthier than ever. Some Polish nationals across Europe have packed up and flown back. So why are others staying? Three businesswomen in Greater Manchester, one a baker, one a chef, and one a beautician, recount their journeys, from arriving with neither money nor English to building thriving businesses in a country that, despite its political and economic turmoil, still offers a life they cannot recreate easily elsewhere. Stockport Market, UK. Morning. I start my shift with 21-year-old Kuba, Poland-born, Warrington-raised. Today is Tłusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday), a Christian tradition that marks the last Thursday before Lent, giving license to guzzle sweet, fatty foods ahead of the 40-day fast. We lay out paper and wait for the delivery. Since 1 o’clock in the morning, the bakers have been forming, frying and filling 2,000 doughnuts, the top treat for Poles today. I ...
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JB

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August '24 River pebble, you lie smooth And firm, washed by currents of Hot and cold. I sweep my hand up and down Your skin and memorise your Swooping slopes. I lower my lips along your shadowy chest and down to soft moss. I take your face in my hands And see your grey river eyes, "When again...?" Lublin - late summer we kiss in your room under the John Paul II calendar and Mary icon. we have three hours left. what time is it? we have an hour, half, 15 minutes. left. see you sometime. maybe. London - early autumn we kiss in the Royal Academy, Royal Albert Hall, St. James' Park, National Gallery, Westminster cathedral, Houses of Parliament. in view of Westminster tower. kaffee und kuchen in V&A. tomato leaf candle. Low light. 'If I'm not careful, I'm going to fall in love with you'. I'm already in love with you see you in a week. Riga - autumn we kiss under the red traffic light waiting for it to turn green. leopard print sheets. we kiss on the ...
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Tracing 700 Years of Armenian Heritage in Poland

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Tracing 700 years of Armenian heritage in Poland Cemeteries, khachkars, churches and bakeries all point to the Armenian presence in Poland which stretches far back to medieval times. Though often overlooked, Armenian communities once played a vital role in trade, diplomacy and culture, traces of which remain in cities dotted around Poland. A new wave of Armenian migration is mixing with the ‘Old Polish Armenian’ communities, adding a fresh influence to the enduring legacy of Armenian heritage in Poland. If you want to glimpse a country's multicultural heritage, a cemetery is a good place to start. On a snowy winter's afternoon in Warsaw's Powązki Cemetery, I read scraps of evidence relating to Poland's ethnic compositions, links to empires, wars and border shifts. Dr Zahorowski (1802-1878) was born in Vilnius and died in Warsaw (all cities named are using the contemporary spelling - author’s note); Leopold Kronenberg (1812-1878) was a Jewish banker in the Russian partit...
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