Skrzynecki's poem ‘Postcard’ conceptualises in rich detail the feelings of cultural detachment and isolation, from an individual who feels liable and obligated for the malnourishment of this connection. ‘Postcard’ embodies the symbolic ambivalence Peter feels about his cultural heritage, yet delves the persistent, inexorable affinity to his heritage that he is reluctant to embrace. The motif of a postcard, ‘A postcard sent by a friend haunts me’, highlights the essence of lamentation that responds to the insistence of cultural recognition. The symbolism of the postcard romanticises a destination, but its proportion also diminishes it and stipulates the sense of temporary dwelling rather than permanence. This transpires his Polish heritage as a distant ‘remnant’ (Feliks Skryznecki, line 37) of the past, and underpins the beguiling quality of the postcard in demanding acknowledgment. The evocative verb of ‘haunts’ conveys the persona’s inability to refuse the magnetism of his homeland, implying connotations of death and prior existence. This infers that the persona’s memory and connection to is homeland is eroded and fragile. Skrzynecki galvanises the aspect of cultural disjointment in the rhetorical oxymoron, ‘What
Skrzynecki's poem ‘Postcard’ conceptualises in rich detail the feelings of cultural detachment and isolation, from an individual who feels liable and obligated for the malnourishment of this connection. ‘Postcard’ embodies the symbolic ambivalence Peter feels about his cultural heritage, yet delves the persistent, inexorable affinity to his heritage that he is reluctant to embrace. The motif of a postcard, ‘A postcard sent by a friend haunts me’, highlights the essence of lamentation that responds to the insistence of cultural recognition. The symbolism of the postcard romanticises a destination, but its proportion also diminishes it and stipulates the sense of temporary dwelling rather than permanence. This transpires his Polish heritage as a distant ‘remnant’ (Feliks Skryznecki, line 37) of the past, and underpins the beguiling quality of the postcard in demanding acknowledgment. The evocative verb of ‘haunts’ conveys the persona’s inability to refuse the magnetism of his homeland, implying connotations of death and prior existence. This infers that the persona’s memory and connection to is homeland is eroded and fragile. Skrzynecki galvanises the aspect of cultural disjointment in the rhetorical oxymoron, ‘What