Sisters Poem by Nastasimir Franovic

Sisters

at the end of the country road where the hill ends,
two little girls were running. The sisters who saw the bus stopped
the old blue bus panted and stopped at the end of the hill
the sisters stared. There were no buses seen in the village for a long time
they started touching the bus like some big compassionate blue horse
whom they harnessed to pull the cart
a crowd of excited and happy children run out of the bus
then three nuns and a hunched-over driver came out
the driver was prepared to spit and swear but refrained
we have to stop for a while, he said
sisters got mixed up with the other children
they ran away from their stepmother, her three children, and a careless drunken father
who after work got drunk and was lying on the couch and snored
suddenly the bus started
the sisters were sitting in the back seat of the old blue bus
they ride the bus for the first time. They sit like important guests and look out the window.
in their eyes, there was a hunger nested
two lumpy little green apples were on the floor
they rubbed them on their sleeves and bit them with small bites like some ladies
they fell asleep hugged and tired
at dusk, through the window, they saw the river and the shepherd driving the sheep
children entered through the large monastery gate
they were carrying some small bundles
the sisters had nothing in their hands
at the door of the monastery inn there was a wooden board with an inscription
Orphanage

Nastasimir - Misko Franovic