Walking Through a Real Fantasy

**CHELYABINSK**

A twisted, metal-covered railway track
bisected three miles of dead forest,
reaching out across the world.

Hearts and minds responded;
bodies changed geography
(chasing souls in search of souls).

Hands of sympathy
helped hands of gratitude.
Together they molded
both the shape of some
and the destiny of many.

Kind words and deeds
were exchanged by the visited
and the visitors:
all added to the tattoo
carved by that explosion.

Cast iron figures
and clever wooden dolls
are the only visible remnants
of the wheel of history
turned again
by the force of the dead and dying.

Papyrus Publishing 2008 – in *Walking Through a Real Fantasy*