[Editor’s Note: Dr. Hoult composed this poem last year when she and her husband Charlie were traveling in Russia, on a boat cruising the inland Russian waterways, from St. Petersburg to Moscow.]
Tall sentinels along the Volga.
Long branches drooping and sighing;
Leaves drifting moss-like in the wind.
Standing tall,
Yet feeling the weight of history;
The great drama of Russia.
Bark spotted with black,
Not pure and white,
But burned and scarred by life and events
Thick underbrush guarding deep secrets.
The silver birches welcome, but they dare you to come;
These sentinels on guard against the interloper.
Dr. Janet C. Hoult, Professor Emerita, Cal State Los Angeles, may be contacted at HOULTight@aol.com
