The Heartbeat of Kusy

Poetry
Avatar of Konrad TademarBy Konrad Tademar
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The Heartbeat of Kusy
On the 105th anniversary of the birth of Janusz Tadeusz Kusociński, Olympian. – In 1932 at the Los Angeles Olympics of the X-th Olympiad – Janusz Tadeusz Kusociński of Poland won the 10,000-meter race.  Kusociński, nicknamed “Kusy” by his fellow Poles was born January 15, 1907, in Warsaw – and he was executed for Resistance Activity by the Nazis along with more than 2000 other Polish athletes, intellectuals, and politicians on June 21, 1940, in the town of Palmiry near Warsaw in Poland during the World War II – NAZI occupation of Poland.

The Heartbeat of Kusy

The heart in the chest beats fast, furious, ferocious, and free
The universe is listening to the sound, silently, softly
There is no breath, the lungs barely move, mindful of effort
The only air is the wind parting in honored reverence
Before the body that carries the heart…
The heart of Kusy.

The heart of a warrior worthy of Warsaw
Far from his home city to bring honor and glory back
The ground wishes to make each step lighter, less onerous
For Gaea herself is honored to have him walk on her
To carry the feet that carry the body that carries the heart…
The heart of Kusy.

Both faces of Janus turn to look in one direction
All the Gods of Olympus stop their idle chatter
Los Angeles roars as the audience tunes in to the heartbeat
Housed in the flesh and blood and sinew of a son of Poland
To the beating of the elemental, energized, elephant heart…
The heart of Kusy.

Xenophon wakes in Hades and yells at Cerberus
“Tell me foul dog?  Have the 10,000 come back to life?
For I hear such a pulsing, pounding on the ground
As though a herd of Persian Elephants was passing by
Surely a vast army is marching overhead to do battle!”
But it isn’t, it is only the heart of Kusy.

But the beast yawns and growls back: “No general,
your mercenaries are still dead, what you hear, what woke you
Is the 10,000 meters being run at the Olympics in Los Angeles
The Angels have noticed as well, the pounding sound are the feet
Of the winner and the roar of the adorning Angeles crowd.”
Xenophon stands up and listens to the beating of the heart of Kusy

“What is his name and what city does he call home?” he asks
“His name is Janusz Tadeusz Kusociński, a Pole from Warsaw.”
Xenophon looks the foul beast in the eye and smiles
“Tell the Gods then to give him a heroic death,
He deserves it for waking the dead with the power of his heart!”
The heart that beat the ten-thousand, the heart of Kusy.

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Avatar of Konrad Tademar
Konrad Tademar

Konrad Tademar is an American poet living in Los Angeles. His works range from single sonnets to epic poems on themes including current events, myth, and philosophy. In addition to American subjects, his work is strongly informed by international events and history, especially those of freedom and oppression.

Tademar's early childhood was spent in Poland where he was particularly influenced by the rise of the anti-communist Solidarity labor union. Following his return to the U.S., he studied philosophy and literature at Los Angeles City College where he was president of the Poet's Platform. He then went on to graduate from UCLA. He has appeared in Los Angeles venues such as the Onyx, Ground's Zero, Magicopolis Theater, Wilshire Art Gallery, and Pig and Whistle. In 1991, he founded the Witching Hour Poetry Gathering which has met continuously for over 20 years. Additionally, he is a founding member of the Pecan Pie Organization, dedicated to artistic promotion, stage performances.

His poetry book "Fifty Sonnets, titles like labels only get in the way..." is available for purchase on Lulu.com. Two epic poems, "Prometheus" and "Trafficking In Time" are scheduled for release in the near future.

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