Letters to Uncle Joe
Dear Stalin,
I left a slice of cakeout on the table for you.It’s your favorite—made withundying love for you.When you are doneplease put away your fork.You know how it scares the dogs.
Dear Stalin,
Remember the trees quakingwhen you walked under them?What thoughts did you havethat made them so uneasy?
Dear Stalin,
I painted your portrait based ona photograph in which everyonebut you had been erased.Where once you were lookingat your good friend, the minister,now you are merely lookingout at the sunset, with the kindof smile one reserves for onlythose he cares most deeply about.
Dear Stalin,
My grandfather was so weak afterliving in the forest for two yearson potato peels and tree leaves.You liberated him, God bless you,and enlisted him straight intothe Red Army. Then you sent hisentire regiment to a Siberian gulag.
Dear…
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The American Poetry Review (Digital) - 1 Issue, May/June 2019