Escape From Winter by Alex Galper

That December,
Rocking in a chair
And reading Rumi,
I ceased to reflect in a mirror.
You broke into tears:
"How can I trust you ever again?"

In January,
I began to levitate
By the chandelier
Reading Hayam.
It made you nervous.
You learned to
Throw the rope like a cowboy,
Pulling me back into the bed.

And in February,
I went into spontaneous combustion,
But you, ready for contingencies,
Slept with a fire-extinguisher
And put the flames out,
Destroying my plan
Of daring escape
To 12th century Persia.



Bio:
Born in Kiev, Ukraine Alex Galper came to America at the age of 20. In 1996, he graduated from Brooklyn College majoring in Creative Writing (his professor was Allen Ginsberg). His work has appeared in many Russian publications whilst his collection “Rybnyi den’” (Fish De Jour) has been published by the Koja Press. His writing has been translated from Russian with the assistance of his friends Igor Satanovsky and Mike Magazinnik. More details can be found at the Koja website, which is dedicated to the exploration of the Russian-American avant-garde crossroads.
www.kojapress.com

Copyright Alex Galper 2005