GB No. 4, spring 1991


LIFE IN THE HOUSES ALONG THE RAWA

Katowice is a big industrial city. For that reason the river Rawa, which flows through the centre of Katowice, consists of 90% sewage and only 10% water. The bank of the Rawa is heavily built up with concrete houses. The Rawa stinks and the windows of the houses face the Rawa. The people living in the concrete houses often cast a fishing line and hope to catch something. If they catch something, they fry and eat it. If they do not catch anything, they change the bait. Meanwhile the people in the neighbourhood do not have any dustbins and throw the garbage out of the windows right into the stinking Rawa, and the windows of the houses face the Rawa. The people living in the concrete houses often cast a fishing line and hope to catch something. If they catch something, they have a party and invite people from distant Gliwice, Sosnowiec and Rybnik to satisfy their hunger. If it happens in winter, the children go out in the street and build a snowman. You can see its shimmering black shape from afar. This is a Silesian snowman. Meanwhile the people in the neighbourhood do not have any dustbins and throw the garbage out of the windows right into the stinking Rawa, and the windows of the houses face the Rawa. The people living in the concrete houses often cast a fishing line and hope to catch something. If they catch something, they have a party and invite people from distant Bytom, Będzin and D±browa to satisfy their hunger. If it happens in winter, the snow falls and the wind blows. The black snowflakes are whirled around by the wind; among thousands not one is like the others. Meanwhile the people in the neighbourhood do not have any dustbins and throw the garbage out of the windows right into the stinking Rawa, and the windows of the houses face the Rawa. In front of the houses there are rows of cars and the motorway is close by. In the distance you can see the smoke rising from the iron and steel works, and under the ground the miners mine coal to keep the concrete houses warm. The miners live in the houses without dustbins and throw the garbage out of the windows right into the stinking Rawa, and the windows of the houses face the Rawa. In front of the houses there are rusting car wrecks and the motorway is close by. In the distance you can see the smoke rising from the iron and steel works, and under the ground the miners mine coal and they are buried alive by falling stones. The miners live in the warm concrete houses because there is enough coal, and they often cast a fishing line and hope to catch something. If they do not catch anything, they change the bait. If they catch something, they ask the little mouldy-green fish: "Little fish, give us more coal to mine as well as new shaving cream, little mouldy-green fish. Give us something to eat in order to have more strength to mine, give us, give us, little mouldy-green fish, new TV programmes...". The little mouldy-green fish fulfills their wishes and they invite people from distant Chorzów, Zabrze and Zawiercie to satisfy their hunger with the food from the little mouldy-green fish. In the distance you can see the smoke rising from the iron and steel works, and under the ground the miners mine coal and they are buried alive by falling stones. The wives of the miners are sitting in front of their TV sets in the concrete houses. If the aerials do not work they believe the TV set is out of order and throw it out of the windows right into the stinking Rawa, and the windows of the houses face the Rawa. In front of the houses there are heaps of scrap metal and the motorway is close by. The people living in the concrete houses often cast a fishing line and hope to catch something. If they do not catch anything they change the bait. In the meantime the guests are coming from distant Jastrzębie, Siemanowice and Piekary and are sitting in front of the TV sets. There is a soccer match between "Ruch" and "GKS-Katowice" on TV. Sometimes Ruch loses and GKS wins. Sometimes "Ruch" wins and "GKS" loses. In the most exciting moment the aerial stops working and the viewers believe the TV set is out of order and throw it out of the window right into the stinking Rawa, and the windows of the houses face the Rawa. If it happens in winter the children go out in the street and build a snowman. You can see its shimmering black shape from afar. This is a Silesian snowman. The people living in the concrete houses often cast a fishing line and hope to catch something. If they do not catch anything, they change the bait. But there is no success. For a long time they have not been catching anything. It is warm because there is enough coal. Under the ground the miners mine coal and are buried alive by falling stones. And there is nobody to cast a fishing line. The stinking Rawa consists of 90% sewage and 10% coal. Only in the Rawa there is life. Mouldy-green children are rising from the waves and make a hilarious noise. But there is nobody to cast a fishing line.

Jacek Sierpiński
(FANTASTYKA 2/89)


GB No. 4, spring 1991 | Contents