The Wife of a Dead Russian Diplomat

continuing on from my previous little scribble that took place outside Nikolai's café bar

The Wife of a Dead Russian Diplomat

I was the second wife

of a recently deceased and very high ranking

Russian diplomat ..

Is what she said, when I asked her why she

lived in such a remote

   

Bulgarian asylum, instead of some mansion

The only faithful one too,

she added, with residual regal composure

and some disdain ..

 

The rest, except for one and that one, being me,

are now already very dead ..

Indeed it is because of him and his many fancies

I am forced to languish here ..

I imagine the same thing must happen in America

   

Excuse me, I am English and no ..

 I replied, perhaps too loudly, I don’t imagine it does ..

Then feeling dreadfully guilty

because I think, perhaps it did, I bought her cigarettes ..

 

I also gave her half my white Rakia

which we drank in the square of some local martyr in silence

   

It was thirty nine degrees in the shade of our orek tree ..

After all, it was a very pleasant way

to while away a few hours, on what might otherwise

have been, just another melancholy day ..

Author's Note

this is entirely true with no embellishments .. we met several times afterwards .. and even when it got uncomfortably hot, she never removed her tailored mink coat .. and then one day, she was gone ..

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

I am feeling a teeny weeny bit guilty for my response on part one of this poem, which I commented on yesterday. But and it’s a big but, you are so very good at leading your readers up the garden path. What a gentleman, you bought her cigarettes and there was me thinking ….. and you shared your white rakia too. A fascinating tale and I smiled at her tailored mink coat in the heat. You do meet interesting people Neville and I imagine the company was welcome and enjoyed. I can’t help feeling she was much safer with you than she would have been elsewhere. Nicely penned.

Chris

[Neville]

I absolutely insist you stop feeling guilty .. at least about .. well, you know what .. I am delighted you came back and asked for seconds our Chris .. the fact that you do is an honour .. I could go into so much more detail about Gerdena .. but of course, well you know .. thank you x

[Chris Shaw]

You have a very norty streak coursing through those veins of yours :)