Chichikov

SOON IT WILL BE DAWN
By Pavel Chichikov

See them all as great sloped mounds
Sun-bricked clay, Mesopotamia,
The heavy footprint on the ground,
The great Esagila

Reach God, they think, by humble climbing,
For they have left him far behind
In the garden, in the fresh of evening
But him they will not find

He walks among the deathless trees
Which sway in the sweet cool wind,
But they as if they could be free
Climb up to be unsinned

They build a temple at the top
To Dream and Sacrifice,
One a goddess, one a god
Which never will be spliced

And He who walks can walk and wait—
The creatures browse and fawn
On the skirts of His robe but time grows late
And soon it will be dawn


HIS BURNING HEART
By Pavel Chichikov

The worst is lost love.
There is nothing worse.
And He replies: Hush. I have it here.
And He shows His burning heart

The Poetry of Pavel Chichikov