The Russian Winter-The Russian Soul
The Russian winter…
It is a hard one.
Epiphany frosts,
The hinterland of Yakutia,
The degrees fall fast,
And the Sun
Forgets Mother Russia.
Yet the winter is often Russia’s greatest ally.
Turning back the Swedes,
While later the winds of December and the gales of January
Saw the Germans starve and surrender at Stalingrad.
The ice and the snow had vanquished the German foes.
The Red Banner flew over the city in triumph.
The descendants of Peter and Catherine had prevailed.
The enemy but destroyed by the snows and ice,
That on many occasions have been Russia’s strongest friends.
The Russian winter is often a white splendor,
Sparkling and glittering in the waning light of the day.
Yet more than that,
It has forged the Russian soul,
A soul that runs deeper and wider
Then those in other places.
A soul with the capacity to love, to fight, to seek, to feel the life
To know the life and understand it.
Yes from the winter, the cold, the fury,
Comes the Russian soul
It is the Russian winter
That sets apart the Russian soul
And makes the Russian man and the Russian woman
Sparkle like bright stars
Amidst the Milky Way
At times the same as all the rest
But for all time always different
James Tucci
Miami, Florida
October 4, 2013
