~ Some think spring has almost come in Petersburg ~
(11-26 February 2019) 

At first this existence seems beautiful
Appears some brilliant, pristine crystal
Then that very ice melts and
What remains is cigarette butts
And the stench of sidewalk refuse
Suspended in the brumous delta air
Snow turns to chilling sleet
Then to flurrying snow again
Swirling and shimmering down
Into half-frozen slush puddles
Beneath insidious bands of icicles
Those precious jewel-flakes twirl
As if descending royal stairs
Only to join the sparkling city dirt
As the damp cold redoubles
To the tune of forlorn cats
Wailing outside balcony windows

Wind blows
Feet slip
And people flow like rivers

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That entire thing started on 11 February with this:

“At first this life seems beautiful //
Then the ice melts and what’s left is cigarette butts and the stench of sidewalk refuse.”

If I were more of a true #nihilist I would have left it at that.

The official beginning of spring in Russia is 1 March. At the very end of February there was hardly any snow around. Since then we have had lots of snowfall and now another bit of a thaw. I was neither so morose nor so disgusted on 11 February, but some of the street smells in warmer weather are truly quite revolting, and it was nearly amazing to see the buildup of cigarette butts on shrinking sidewalk snowbanks. I am sharing this even though I am not entirely satisfied with it. I rarely am anyhow with what I write. Maybe I will rewrite it later.