St. Petersburg The light here is special. Drenched by blood and frost So much has happened here. Bronze horseman, burning homes, Nine hundred days written into symphonies of emptied tear ducts. "The iron lacework of fences," words of the favoured poet, I came here to see more than just the railings. My eyes emptied you Of every detail, draining the swamp, imagining the father finishing son, Here in this quiet summer house; a death that was not foretold. In the cold, congealing winter, the line forms of people like ants Hands outstretched for ice cream, defiant, no defeat this Even as soldiers, and mothers, and lovers Saw death's mission done. The canal waters are smooth, and the oligarchs make Patterns with their sleek car on Nevsky Prospekt, And at the Marinsky, candied ceilings, music pitting the walls, I think of how it must have been To beg for black bread on the banks of the slow, straining river. [ZESTPoets: Nirupama Rao is former spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. She lives in Delhi] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/pkgkPB/SOnJAA/Zx0JAA/yqIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> �������������������������������������������������������� Did you get this mail as a forward? Subscribe by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/join/ Members are encourage to post poetry, their own and others', respond critically to the poems circulated, and participate in discussions. Post via email at [email protected] OR online at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/post/ ==theZESTcommunity====================================== [1] ZESTCurrent: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCurrent/ [2] ZESTEconomics: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTEconomics/ [3] ZESTGlobal: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/ [4] ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/ [5] ZESTPoets: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/ [6] ZESTCaste: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ [7] ZESTAlternative: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTAlternative/ [8] TalkZEST: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TalkZEST/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
