mongolian sky with a smile

border crossing takes a while
no mans lands stretches for some miles
I had a drunken embrace and an old man's kiss at the station
arrival in UB at dawn
the sun is coming up we been running from it for days
and we crack smiles
there is blue sky here
and peace avenue is a welcome walk

Sleeper Siberia

Leonard is in my ears, a thousand kisses deep, as sihouettes of pine, ash and the taiga pass by the window. In the middle of Siberia, endless lines onwards, a thousand sleepers behind us now.

down to the metro

My new favorite thing is to eyeball people going down the escalator to the metro. Stony cold faces stare back, crack a smile and see the befuddlement.

7am moscow

It is 7am on the dot, outside a dog yowls, somewhere in the grey. A slow snore begins as the sad howl stops.

chow and god

Chow waiting for the service to end, god takes his time here, as all things do in this place. Dogs que here. Chocolate in gob, happy as Larry, strolling along this grand old city's streets. Woof woof.

deer, bird and sitting cat shadow look odd

Ater the summer palace ... back to nevsky prospect

fading light through the trees about to turn

I would have liked to be Catherine strolling those lanes

manned by marble boys with modest maple leaves

duck with feet cold, tucked up

kids in onesys

tres cute

cat beer russia

ukranian hot stog ... 'shot' is to get the bill
man with hammer pants
no photo
no koala give out
good food, daggy doorman

bird in St Petersburg no hot water ... better fly south for the winter

Tallinn Deer ... cold uber market behind

wheels and eye shadows

the wheels of this soviet place keep turning
but ever so slowly
ques, and more ques
then the wheels buckles and someone has to come and change it
there is a process for this
not linear, more arse-about
the guy who's come to fix the wheel points and gesticulates
you Que again and pay money
wheel is back on but you've missed the train so have to wait again
get off in the cold, old men swig beer and vodka
it's 10a.m. and the woman behind you wears animal print and blue eye shadow
this is Moscow
welcome to Moscow
mind the step

no russian

being a deer with no russian is hard in st petersburg
smiling faces are currently hidden under sombre looks
it's cold and the wind cuts through everything
i may see the hermitage today if they let deers in
the food is good and cheap
the water is cold in the hostel
went to the idiot cafe
like the story not the person

It is a cold night in the corner tonight
The rain is drip, drip dripping from the rusty awn
The dog toys float about the lawn
Yellow licks under the hood fire bright

Miserable way to end the week
Winter looks to have clawed its way into September
Enough to have made me remember
That winter was grey but not this bleak

Flower arrangements for the broken hearted

I will take up Ikebana
An art that seems suitable for someone with a heart full of stones
Arranging something beautiful and scented
To fit into a vessel
With balance, lines and elements in order
You can position the blooms and foliage to suit you
Have them where you want them
Delicate and methodical movements
To distract from the slow tumble of the mixer
Full of stones
Tumble until they are polished and smooth
Then I will take up karate

It begins here in Stones Corner
Only a stones throw away now
The Deer and The Bird and Sitting Cat
On the first day of spring
Soon a seasonal change
And they will be under falling leaves of autumn
Who would have thought it.