a found poem
Anyone looking for a portent
might have noticed a ship
leaving Petrograd
that September
Carrying into exile
writers
intellectuals
scholars
whose ideas
the regime found
objectionable
The names involved are unfamiliar
The idealist philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev
The literary critic Yuli Aikhenvald
The religious thinker Semyon Frank
The sociologist Pitirim Sorokin
The medieval historian Lev Karsavin
The secret police officers
monitoring the launch
raised their hats in salute
as it left the harbor
shouting
We are all Russians.
Why is this happening?
In an interview
Trotsky carefully explained
the expulsions
were an act of mercy
Found in William Grimes' NYTimes review of Lesley Chamberlain's new book Lenin's Private War: The Voyage of the Philosophy Steamer and the Exile of the Intelligentsia
No comments:
Post a Comment