In Love With A Foreign Land Poem by Edouard BIZIMANA

The world I roved,
Pain, love, joy, I tasted
On a journey I embarked
To places it took me,
But very few impressed me
Until Moscow captured
The wanderer's mind and spirit.

Two different faces Moscow wears
Winter-frozen and chilly
Blossoming and shining summer:
Just like the two facets of life.
Like life winter and summer,
Just come and go but
Something remains:
Notes of joy as I wander around Moscow.
Busy and muddy streets,
Women and girls all covered up
Displaying no part of themselves
unhappy facesand wind-pinked noses
All seems to be regrets.
Mud-veiled vehicules,
Like widows with ashed faces
as if they were mourning a departed friend
Yes indeed, Moscow loses smile
As winter takes the lead.

More busier summer streets
As from the ashes of winter,
Summer slowly resurrects.
Men and women alike roving streets
Parks and pools reuniting with
Half naked men and women
In search of sunburnt bodies
Just to look exotic and different.
Flowers'resurrection
Gives hope and life to starved bees
As the sun rays revive the frozen bodies
To give them again envies of life
As summer warms up hearts and bodies
Of long separated couples.
After a stroll in human-infested parks
Couple go back home filled with envies
To throw away coaches
Where men froze, away from their wives
On onebed, love catches-up.
All these I love:
Streets, people, places
Winter frozen faces
Summer burnt bodies,
Monuments and rivers
Young and old with sun glasses
Some to hide Beluga abused eyes
Others to look like strangers in places
That know them so well,
Drunken and alcoohol smelling Park-dwellers:
All theses I like, that‘s life,
It may seem bitter sometimes,
But it is life,
I cherish every moment
For these moments, just as our lives
Come to an end leaving regrets behind.

Like a sparrow I rove places
Feeding my winter-starved eyes
With all kinds of wonders Moscow offers
Eager to catch every glimpse of life
Before winter comes again to burry
Summer best feelings under heavy snow.

I love everything I see:
Trees, squerrels, birds, women, busy ants, …
I love everything I feel:
Joy, breeze, cold, pain of ill-loved women,
Hatred, pefums of men and women
In search of lost second souls.

I love everything seen and felt
Emotions, anger, the blinding rays of love
Those are my reward here on earth
As I expect no virgins to welcome me in heaven.
I enjoy to feel and see with my heart,
I like feeling the pain myself
As I hope for God's mercy,
I love making mine every moment
Before the world pulls down the curtain behind me
And betweenmy body and soul.