By Pavel Chichikov
The haggard man stood still above the shrine
Then turned away – his lengthy stride elastic
Strong and sure – his strength had not declined,
Though hell had broken loose to play its tricks
‘Come back' I shouted, ‘don't leave in a hurry ,
We need someone to find a sanctuary –
‘I am the one you want,' called back the man,
‘But I move fast, so follow if you can'
Lightning sparked though darkness come once more,
The supple man had gone and we peered after –
Close there spoke a voice and someone cursed
And we were blinded for the moment – laughter
Peeled around us, then we heard the rain.
Urgently, we hurried to keep up,
To find the lanky figure in the dark
And wet, but we went hastily in vain
Rob and I jogged on at double-time,
Flora on my shoulders – day eclipsed –
We knew without a word he was our chance
To find an exit from apocalypse
Lamed and out of breath, in fearful plight
Along the ruined streets we searched for him –
Once, distantly, a vision of the man
Caught within a burning building's light
Then gone again, where was he? All dead beat
We stopped – we needed rest, something to eat –
Worn and nearly famished – out of breath –
Too puzzled now and faint to think of death
We found ourselves alone, when suddenly
Movement in the darkness and the sound
Of horse's hooves, the creaking of its tack –
The gelding came up to us – on its back
The man was riding, in one hand he held
The purple flower – on his face a look
Of steadfast kindness, gentleness and strength –
The azure petals spun – became a book
The Shoulder of the Sun Part Thirteen will be featured tomorrow.
To visit Pavel Chichikov's website click *here*
