Arkhangelsk~Архангельск

On September 4, 1918, United States troops land at Archangel, in northern Russia. The landing was part of an Allied intervention in the civil war raging in that country after revolution in 1917

Can you still hear the footsteps
drowning out the shouts of the fallen?
Stay close MIlaya moyA,
we are expected at home.

Vanya, I have lost sight of
the colorful scarf flagged
around the threadbare grey
of your coat.

Calling your name,
no one acknowledges
the plaintive stretch
of each letter. I am a
screeching ghost in the
wind.

Finally in an alley finding
you still on cobblestones
with your scarf covering your
beautiful face.

Kneeling beside you watching
your life run in rivulets back
into an ungrateful motherland

I know-

Our archangel has forsaken us.
Torn between grief and anger
I cannot bear to look at you.

You promised me, you promised
mama, you would always stay
here, in hell, with me.

Reviews

[lee von cleef]

Ma ma ,power words tip our mind strings,and the promise of mother motherland,we believe is everlasting.

[icelandicblue]

Thanks, nice to meet you!

[Jack...]

Definitely dark and pain ridden is this piece. Promises we make but can not always keep do someday find us and haunt us, even if we are not aware. Very cool write.

[icelandicblue]

So true Jack,. We may have promises to keep but sometimes they are just out of our control. Thanks for reading.

[KeeD]

WOW! It's like a story of the forsaken come to life through your pen. This poem can be perceived in many ways, hell could be earth and she taken away' I just loved it none the less, I need to read this a lot more definitely going in to my favorites. It's still sinking in, the intensity and pain behind the words. I know from your about me you say you're a teacher, just wondering what kind of teacher you are, if it's comfortable enough a question for you to humble me with an answer. Thank you for sharing this.

[icelandicblue]

LOL- I don't mind at all. I teach 4th grade (all academic subjects) but I am an avid student of history so I pull historical events as backdrops of some of my poems. This takes place in Russia (I am going through a russian phase in my writing right now) 1918 in Arkhangelsk or Archangel Russia when the west got involved in a revolt following the Russian Revolution.

[KeeD]

Wow that's pretty interesting and i'd love to read more on the subject :) 4th grade that's awesome, that's certainly one of the most challenging though fun jobs to have :)

[Muse]

A cold journey, we are at the mercy of your pen to find some closure.


You promised me, you promised
mama, you would always stay
here, in hell, with me.


This has lots of pain....ache.

[icelandicblue]

Thank you so much for reading. Sometimes I do not know where these poems come from!

[David Scott]

The unexplainable loss of a life as escape from this world is mixed with release and remorse. Alone to exist in this hell...
I felt the scene and the empty loneliness.
Well penned and unique.

[icelandicblue]

Thank you for commenting so thoroughly.

[Annabelle Lee]

ouch.

[icelandicblue]

yes, ouch

[KAOlmsted]

Holy cats. This is a really powerful write. I could almost see this as a short story. Let me rephrase that: I would love to see this as a short story. Great work here. Thank you so much for posting it for us.

[icelandicblue]

Thanks so much- I appreciate the comment. For a long time all I wrote with haikus then someone said I should try longer poems and I have- perhaps now I'll work up the courage and creativity to write a short story. The last short story I wrote was in high school!

[KAOlmsted]

My pleasure. I only just recently started experimenting with Haiku, Senryu, Tanka...was quite obsessed with them last month *laugh* Seems the site was inundated with 17 syllable poetry :-D Yes, do stretch those creative wings and try your hand at a story. You know where to find me if you do ;-) Shoot me an RR. Any time.