Siberian Highway

[Billy]

Siberian Highway

I dream of me in large, canvas-
covered trucks barreling through
Siberia, radio blasting Cossack music.

The driver laughs like a rapid river,
offers me shots of vodka, cigarettes.
We crash through wooden barricades,

wrap ourselves in heavy fur skins.
Someone's always chasing us, but who?
If only we could stop, fraternize

with the husky women in red scarves,
smiling as we wave hello and goodbye,
evading the black sedans on our tail.

Often, our trucks break through ice-
covered rivers, plunging to the frigid
bottoms. Our bodies frozen, mannikins

smiling blankly, waiting to be awakened.

[Bernie01]

Oh boy, those last four lines.

keep reading them over and over, my body a frozen mannikin smiling blankly, waiting to be awakened.


love it.


bernie

[BobBradshaw]

Beautiful! No criticisms...just very enjoyable~

[Michael (MV)]

 
Hi Billy,


this reads like a dream sequence


I esp like the simile:

"The driver laughs like a rapid river,"

^^ my inner ear is also hearing:

The driver laughs like a rapidly lapping river,


instead of " fraternize" workshop consider "flirt" or "make out" or "go all the way":

If only we could stop, flirt

with the husky women in red scarves,

^^ or all three:

If only we could stop, flirt, make-out & go all the way

with the husky women in red scarves,



All the heat in the course of the poem makes for a potent juxt to the freeze-frame finale.


the Siberian Connection


Billy, your poem has received a nom-nod: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6624#p28998

 

Michael (MV)
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

[Billy]

Thanks Bernie Bob Michael

[harada57]

back on track.

คาสิโน

[markberge]

Love your poem. The 5 Best Burr Coffee Grinders for 2018 with Reviews and Buying Guide
Thanks for sharing. Speaking of Siberia, I just watched a National Geographic documentary called Wild Russia - Siberia. I think I might plan a trip to this vast beautiful region.

[Billy]

Thanks Mark

[Kenneth2816]

Billy. The only crit I woul have is possibly too crowded with references like vodka Cossacks, etc. Otherwise, a menacing tone
well subdued.

[Billy]

Thanks for commenting kenneth. I was more concerned with the cliche aspect of those objects, but I thought they were in keeping with a dream-like moment of a person who is not Russian or who hasn't lived there.

[richardx]

Major highways are frequently named and numbered by the governments that commonly create and look after them. Australia's Highway 1 is the longest national roadway on the planet at AssignmentHouse more than 14,500 km or 9,000 mi and runs practically the whole route around the continent.

[SivaVelliangiri]

It is just that, no ulterior motives--

fraternize

with the husky women in red scarves,
smiling as we wave hello and goodbye,

Everything happens with speed.There is no time to flirt, but yes to fraternize, say hello and goodbye is just like a click of the tongue or a snap of the middle finger and thumb.


Who would have thought 'to fraternize?''F(f)raternize' is a better word than Michael's workshop suggestion. To use these words or phrases ' "flirt" or "make out" or "go all the way" ' is what is expected and hence cliched. This I firmly believe. And I too give a nom nod for this poem. And Michael's L i b e r t y poem.

Siva