MARGARET GUDKOV

MARGARET GUDKOV

The Streets Belong To Silence

The streets belong to silence

As the people hibernate in a thick cocoon of boredom

Their jealous glances scanning the landscape for signs of hope

And the animals arriving from the world's shadows

Emboldened by an absence of the human noise

New York is eerie sans Broadway's explosive cacophony

The empty buses crossing town more out of habitude

Deserted by the population, like the dinosaurs of another era

The wooden boards blocking views of glass vitrines

Leaving their innards in the twilight of obscurity

Neon lights in a total dissonance with reality

Ads flashing, selling nonsense to no one...the theaters closed

Carnegie hall in a bewailing hiatus without music

Met opera stands quietly, raped by unfortunate events

In the muffled posture of a soloist who lost his voice to a cold

Only at night the city shows its true nature

The pots and pans proclaim the gratitude for first responders

On windows, hearts and flowers for tired, scared nurses

And then again, silence, the city slips into the night's pajamas

Hoping , it was only a temporary nightmare ...in the morning it will be over

We eat our breakfast, dress and walk in a park without fear

 

 

Indifference

The sky absorbs yearnings of the human mind

Disposing them in the aloof negligence of the forgetful traveler

Through the clouds, moving constantly without structuring alignment

Through the rain, washing away the memories of the past and present

The sorrows , pangs of vanity just melt , leaving no trace

Giving space to the new outbursts of the complex human psyche

All disappears in the immensity of blue welkin borrowing our sentiments

Not caring if we live or die before its unsympathetic eyes

A motley of emotions flying high like lost kites

Evicted from our bodies sans the return tickets

The sky accepts, but only temporarily, as payment for a pass

Musing not for personification

It stares at us from fastigium

Our deeds, our faults, our victories

It saw our wars and degradation, starvation and annihilation

So many over the millennia that the indifference became the norm

by MARGARET GUDKOV

 

Beauty Does Not Wait

For The Gloom To Fade Away

Beauty does not wait for the gloom to fade away

As nature wakes up under the first signs of warmth

Giving the trees festive dresses to attend the ball

The pink magnolias emerge from the winter sleep

Nothing discomfits the natural cycle of life

Stops the wheel rolling even if pandemic invaded its territory

The august skirts of petals worn by the flowers

Taking over the senses without asking permission to intrude

Bringing a smile to the lips, forgetting how to enjoy the little moments

The passing ambulance signals the trouble, maybe death

Hardly any other cars travel on the roads to nowhere

Yet, the birds are in a cheerful mood, discussing the newcomers on the trees

The forsythia blinds the eyes with too much yellow tone

Loudly calling for attention, surrounded by her demure companions

The daffodils bow their heads, too shy to look at the sun directly

And the crocuses lead the way for other flowers to appear

The royal purple, gentle lavender, virgin white, boisterous yellow, cream

An alluring charm of the dames looking for their dancing partners

No shadows of misfortune can stop music to proclaim the hope

MARGARET GUDKOV

MARGARET GUDKOV was born in Moscow in the Soviet era as a teenager and has been a US citizen and New York resident for many years.  Poetry has always been a significant part of Russian culture, and successful poets are much-respected there. Margaret’s experience growing-up in that culture gave her a love of poetry and a desire to express her own thoughts and feelings through poetry. Later, her extensive travels as an adult, primarily in Egypt, India, and Europe, greatly enriched her poetry. Margaret is the author of several books of poetry, including The Four Seasons of Life, and Her Body Emitted Butterflies, and was a contributor to two poetry anthologies, “Ripples: Friends In Verse” (principal author Jackie Summers), and “Enchanted:  Love Poems and Abstract Art”, all of which are available on Amazon. Margaret operates a poetry site on Facebook, “Bleeding Heart” and co-administers with poet Rodney Drought, their poetry group “Port Of Call”, also on Facebook.  Margaret speaks three languages, Russian, Italian, and English.  She is an avid learner of the healing arts, and currently is learning the mystical powers of crystals and essential oils. Margaret collaborated with her Brazilian friend Pedro Eleftheriou, on a “New Age” music CD recorded at the renowned Abbey Road studios in London, by writing poems that appeared in the included booklet, to enhance the instrumental pieces.