Mike Ravdonikas: Poems

A Prayer / Read the names of great painters — to plant your feet back on this Earth and to tether the spirit, molested by low information. Thus: Boldini; and look at their eyes, at their hands so dissolved in the air. Study Sisley, alone in a winterscape, sodden with snow. Stormy Gainsborough, run from those looks, you unwary of heart. Take a rest by the side of a haystack and think of Millet. Semiradsky, his sun playing leopard in shadow of trees. Follow Hopper, alone in a city or outside of town. Shudder: Harris, alone in the ice of improbable shades. Marc and Macke who failed to survive through the war. Twilight Vrubel who looked to the Other side, searching for more. And the greedy Grechetto who valued his brilliant blue. (It's a pity their digital copies won't give you a clue.) @verse by MR === This one is a bit heavy on references, so I'm including a ChatGPTanalysis. In this brave new world of 2023, that article took about 30 minutes to craft — sometimes rephrasing the request, sometimes deleting a sentence here and there to make things more compact; the only thing the AI couldn't handle well was choosing the particular examples, I ended up adding them myself to save time. If you're not yet bothered by AIs, here's why you could be:

Midnight scramble / The agony of looking for your phone when you don't dare to ring, at night: the black device tee-heeing from some corner. It's the third time that I look behind this pillow! And, unlike your glasses, it is never on your head. @verse by MR (Next time, look for something you've removed, like a gown or jacket. It's in the pocket, I guarantee you.)

Interview with a war / What are your plans? Any surprises? Where do you see yourself twelve months from now? Five years? Let's talk about your childhood. Was it your father's or your mother's influence that brought you here today? Explain this N-year gap in your career. Are you expecting children? Ambitions: would you rather rule the world — or reach perfection in a single region? Are you better than your peers, especially those with more experience in other markets? Compensation: do you feel this number would be just? I must say that your references are impressive: highly recommended by the worms. My final question: How come we're on speaking terms? @verse by MR

Dubai's Cold Skin/ I like to cross the space between the buildings — just to touch some undeveloped ground, shovel some sand and gravel with my sandals — wondering, which dried-out sea had once caressed these crystals only to be dumped here by a truck. @verse by MR

Migrations / soon the season will take me far away from heavy books will sit on summer shelves unleafed through undisturbed save by the duster of the maid until October smiles Orion from the balcony and falcons instead owls and no more dogs in restaurants and has it really been another — yes, we're back and, why, we aren't even gone yet. @verse by MR

The Lands of Poppies/ You can’t bring poppy seeds of any kind into the Emirates, they told me. So it is here, outside, that I enjoy my dearest flowers bloom their bloodstains on the grass under the passing clouds, their tissue petals – oh so fragile, oh so loud. @verse by MR

Clipping sound of scissors/ My barber's like a priest: how long since your last haircut? Then, we sometimes smile that way and back until he says: 'No more, I think.' And I agree and dive into the world, refreshed by silence. @verse by MR

Departed / No, Jesus is not here. I saw his kind, sad face on board a train, just standing at the door and looking out into the twilight of this empty platform — no one else to see him off except a moth, attacking station lamps by way of "fare-thee-well". And when the bell and then a puff and then a tug removed him, sideways, into distance — I read "Godless" on the blue-white signs. @verse by MR

Durée/ A quarter of a century is longer than a quarter of an hour – by only ten @verse

Gravity / A red balloon, almost exhausted, creeps along the wall like a lost pet. Oh, how you soared, you poor thing! Did you think the Earth forgets? @verse by MR (Now also in pictures)

Coming back to Dubai in spring has its advantages, even if this isn’t exactly the place for blooming cherries and magnolias. @verse by MR

Off the Books / God isn't a medication, to take like the doctor said. God doesn't have Terms of Use, he's not in the fine print. You know God in your heart — yet let others explain what God is, what God does, what he wants you to do. And when you believe them they happily call it 'belief'. MR@verse