IV. Czech Republic & V. Slovakia

From my series "World Vision" in which I address a poem to every destination I've visited. Seemed appropriate to address these two together.

IV. Czech Republic

I tilt my head upwards through a gradient

To view your soot covered phantom limbs

Crowned with ancient steeples. 

They're seasoned with wisdom like the dance  

Of the local accordion player's antiquated hands-

Music as easy as breath. He sits on the bridge

And instead of change, Collects stories 

Of tourists enraptured by architecture. 

At night he releases them from the folds

Between musical syllables into the pages

Of a romance novel.

The clock tower chimes. 

The fiddler on the bridge trills. 

The homeless man turns 

His head up to the grey sky, 

And I feel your concrete captivate

My senses like a tiny spearmint

Placed on the tip of my tongue. 

V. Slovakia

I tried to use a Czech Koruna on accident

To pay for my capuccino at Zicco's in Bratislava. 

I must have forgotten the most tragic romance

Of the lovers who are not allowed to love

But must be attached, skin to skin, 

Every freckle aligned, without looking each other

In the eye. They've de-hyphenated their last name

And numbed their welded skin. They adjust smoothly

To the primal loneliness. Velvet Divorce. 

Reviews

[ChemicalMadness]

I took my youth for granted, as we tend to do when there is nothing in front of us but more youth.....rolling on into the distance eternal...and so in false comfort "tomorrow" was my excuse on more than one occasion. Tomorrows have a way of surreptitiously tunneling under us and popping up right in front of us at the strangest times; wearing a new name tag: today. I haven't yet lived half of my life (I hope;), but the years have added responsibility, obligation, redefined what contentment means, what color dress it wears....I have few regrets. I don't put much stock in looking back. But this piece hit me square across the chin. Today. And I remembered: man, I wanted to go there. Was going to go. Tomorrow. Will go - tomorrow. It will be under an entirely different context, but I remembered: I must go.

Thanks for the stark and lovely reminder. There is no explaining how much we grow when we immerse ourselves in other cultures...there is no replacement for that....you have to bury your feet in the soil of other worlds.

Lovely, dear.

CM.

[Dana Alsamsam]

wow it's an honor that this piece hit you deeply with such brute force. i can only encourage you to travel if you have the means. i am most incredibly lucky to have a family inclined towards traveling; if i had never been exposed by my family, this appreciation and insight that i have would never have existed. i can only hope that i will live all of my todays exploring the corners of this world. don't let those tomorrows slip through your fingers! i'm glad you liked this one.

[Astro]

The bit about Czech was fantastic in its depiction of stranger's stories being told by local seasoned musicians in the streets, under concrete monuments. I felt similarly, when I was in Berlin and encountered a saxophonist in the tunnels beneath the Victory Column. As for the Slovakia bit, again a simple mistake written about beautifully, showcasing the sadness of a people disjointed politically, but physically a handshake away, "lonely, divorced".

[Dana Alsamsam]

thank you so much! such is the beauty of wonderful street musicians...some of them are just incredible. thank you again for your kind words

[Astro]

My pleasure.

[BL]

I'm glad the Czech Republic spilt from Slovakia as Czechoslovakia always came up as a spelling question at school. You have created some great images in this, I am imagining the architecture and the cool beer of course.

I think the Slovakia stanza is more punchy and so more effective and makes its point with calm ease, but the Czech Republic stanza has some great lines in it too with its Geographical references.

[Dana Alsamsam]

haha very funny observation with the spelling thing! thank you- i'm glad you enjoyed it

[kublakhan27]

You're so lucky to have seen so much of the world and the scores of different environments it offers...I've seen many pics of Prague and Bratislava and you can just see the ties to the past and the respect they have for it...velvet divorce...that's a letter-perfect ending, I couldn't think of a better image to close out this piece...I'm not exactly sure how to explain it but you seem to have a painter's way of looking at things, which translates to the vibrancy of your writing...what more can I say, this is a gorgeous duet of poems that compliment each other perfectly, an ironic reality in itself :)

[Dana Alsamsam]

thank you so much! i really am incredibly lucky and this series is sort of my thanks to the world for showing me what it has. what's really interesting is the separation of the two countries was actually called the velvet revolution! history put those words in my mouth. thanks again :)

[kublakhan27]

Ah yes, I do remember hearing that term back when the split was taking place...there's something about the divorce idea that intrigues me cuz it carries a totally different set of connotations, at least in the way I look at things haha :P Always a pleasure Dana :)

[Archangel Gabriel]

Another sublime piece of poetry Dana. You are such a wonderful poetess!

[Tomahawk Joe]

A well stated picture of romanticism. The image of the homeless man and the grey sky bring to my mind a slight image of despair.

[Clockwork]

The first half, the one dedicated to the Czech Republic, is absolutely magical. So many of the images there are steeped in mystique and folklore. You have me from the phantom limbs and the soot covered steeples. Lines 4-8 really got me though. The music of his hands, collecting their stories instead of money...and after those lines, saving them in the pages of a romance novel. All of that is my favorite from you so far. Oh, and there is that delicious detail about the mint at the end. That really capped the magic of the Czech Republic very well.

Then you really brought together why these pieces are connected. You show us the scars of that political divorce in the terms of two divorced lovers. Those last three lines of : Slovakia really described that very well, and tied the two pieces together very well. I also must say, there is a sense that less magic belongs to Slovakia. Almost like the life was sucked out of it in that divorce. It truly seems to miss its other half in this one.

I'm excited to see where in the world you will travel to next!

[Dana Alsamsam]

thank you so much! if you couldn't tell, the czech republic is one of my favorite places that i've ever visited. i will definitely return there, it was so beautiful. i'm happy you were able to capture that from my words :)

by the time i was in slovakia i had been to four other countries in ten days and kind of just wanted to sleep. you're right in that it was not nearly as magical. what interested me is that many people in slovakia seemed bitter towards the czechs yet it did not go the other way around. no one in czech ever mentioned slovakia haha! (definitely resembles divorce)

thank you so much for your insightful review!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

the lines are just incredible in the "slovakia" part...

especially the last 4 lines...

you write much like catherine sasanov...a very good friend and poet who lives in Boston...and has published widely.

i love her stuff too.

[Dana Alsamsam]

i will be sure to take a look at her work! that's a lovely compliment. thank you, jacob!

[Clockwork]

Of your favorites. That is a really interesting detail about the people. And four countries in 10 days! Talk about a whirlwind world tour! How long ago did you visit?