A Distant Love

In September of 2018 Analia and went on a river cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow. It was a lovely trip and although there was a lot more walking involved than we expected we had a great time. I especially enjoyed the incredible architecture and learning about the history. Although Russians are not prone to smile a lot, when they do, it is wonderful. I enjoyed meeting new people and seeing the world through different eyes. In this poem I tried to capture some of my feelings on this trip.

Gale L. Wolfenbarger

19 September 2018

A Distant Love

My heart has found a distant Love

Where I never thought I'd go,

In a land of tsars and parquet floors

Filled with intrigue, love and war.

A land where Catherine in the Hermitage

Placed wealth from near and far.

One marvels at the treasures grand

Collected by the tsar.

And if the hermitage was not enough

To leave you in a daze,

The Summer Palace surely will

Your eyes and mind amaze.

From the Amber Room to the Hall of Light,

To the spires that greet the dawn.

To the Portrait Room with gilded walls

To garden, lake and lawn.

I view in wonder St. Isaac's dome

And stand in awe complete,

As I gaze at icons on the walls

And mosaics beneath my feet.

The splendors of St. Petersburg

Are delights before my eyes

As I cruise along its water ways

As bridges before me rise.

And then I'm off to Mandrogy

With its brightly painted homes

Beside its peaceful waters where

Native creatures roam.

I thought cathedrals made of stone

Were awesome where they stood,

And then on Kizhi island rose

Marvels made of wood.

The grander structure for warmer times

And the lesser in the fall,

What ere the season they found their way

Into a sacred hall.

And then one day I chanced to stroll

A monastery ground

Where walls protected those within

From dangers all around.

The fortunes of this lovely place

Have changed with Kuzino.

It's now a place where past is kept

For those who seek to know.

In Yaroslavl cathedrals rise

Beneath their onion domes,

Where fishermen in wobbly boats

Bounce over waves and foam.

The "Golden Ring" has many more

Cities of renown.

In Uglich there are peaceful parks

And churches grace the town.

And then my feet found their way

To Moscow to be sure,

With wonders to confound the mind

And there to end my tour

To stroll around St. Basil's domes

And to explore Red Square

To marvel at Spasskaya Tower

And all the splendors there.

It seems to me where ere I roam

In lands both near and far

It's not the things my eyes can see

But how the people are.

It's their smiling faces and happy hearts

And friendship that they give

That I will cherish in my heart

For every day I live.

Gale L. Wolfenbarger

15 September 2018