For Russia with Love...

A cold and biting wind chills
Vladimir's
Bones

As hes takes another drink
From the Brown crumpled bag he clutches

Hiding the 80% proof
Vodka from the
Outside world

He drinks to keep warm

So did his

Father
and
Grandfather
Before
him

They died in the winter
a decade apart
For the same
Reason

Babooshka
Hides herself from
The other orphans

She imagines she is in the middle of a
Russian Doll

Safe and protected

And collects them putting them on the
mantle piece

Below,

A picture of Karl Marks
Which........................................................Hangs

And a copy of Dostoyefskys "Crime and Punishment"
Waits

I board a train at Moscow Central
Bound for St Petersburg Stacion

And the snow dusts the tracks
and a
Russian Beauty
Sits next to me

Reverend
Like a statue and
Sipping

Her Latte

The women of Russia are truly
The most beautiful ive seen

My Train pulls up on time

And we board the Trans-Siberian Express

That tip-toes along
Russia's Spine

All the way to
Vladivostock

And the

" Road of Bones"

Laid in darker times
and created from the dead of those atrocious execution camps
and binded with

Fascist antiquated notions
which defined this time

A man steps into our carriage in uniform
and checks my
tickets and papers

His eyes are
Dead

And i dont tell him
im a jounalist

The KGB and agents of the Kremlin
Walk these carriages
And i feel like a
Double agent

The Door opens suddenly
and Drunk
Russian Youths
sprawl around us
Still chanting they're

Footbal songs
and Blind drunk

They are heavily tatooed
 And scar faced

They catch my
Eye

The carriage falls silent and the
Biggest approaches me

Without a hesitation
My front
Comes up and i hold his
Gaze

He asks:

" What football team do you support"

" Liverpool mate"

I respond instantly

His face changes and he pours
Home brewed

Vodka
Down
My Neck

Thank Fuck for football
I think....

The universal language.