Where Poem by Richard G Berg

Where they were, how they are
How they were, where they are

Tales that shift

Forms of one kind
Equal Opportunities, queasy questionnaires
Rising up like check-points

Posting images
Of what they left behind
Images of what is left
Of themselves
In places where old beauty
Lurks in looks of perfected pride

Streets, graveyards, guide books and tours
Greased with Russian reminders
In Marx's addresses, Lenin's tomb
Mentioned (in passing) by Brits. Always softly
Marked, incognito, on your maps

Interviews, meals, interview at meals
Encounters with middle-aged do-gooders
Wearing the Ukrainian flag until its colours
Seep into summer's twilight

Nobody thinks of your discreet suitcase
Hidden under the bed. The currency
Tucked in drawers. The calls relatives insist
You make and their worries, calling you back

Nobody considers the circles under your eyes
Targets for concern, disguised
By accomplished smiles

Everybody wants your modest heroism
Stamped in their passport
Nobody wants to enter
Your sobs in the departure lounges of night

Where you are
How you were

Where you were
How you are


Richard G Berg
June 2022