I never cared for manicured lawns,
trimmed hedges.
It’s the wilderness
that makes me shiver.

Tall grass dances khorovod in a meadow.
Wind shakes me to the core,
pulls me closer to the ground,
my branch ripe with fruit.

Below the ocean,
towards rye fields, towards daisies,
below snowdrifts, below valleys
my roots spread far
towards the graves
of my great grandparents.

They carry the scent of hay,
the taste of thyme,
the sorrow of a folk song.

They drink from a well
of a small village.

Irina Frolova

 

Note: khorovod is a Slavic folk circle dance.

Irina Frolova is a Russian-born Australian poet who lives in Lake Macquarie with her three human and two feline children. Irina’s poetry is intercultural, feminist ,and largely autobiographical. Her writing explores human psychology, cultural identity, womanhood, relationships, and connection to nature. Irina’s poems have appeared in Australian Poetry Collaboration, Not Very Quiet, and Baby Teeth Journal.

© 2019