Burst into Song

In that alternate universe,

Communism worked. Don’t ask.

A small group of maidens

waited at the bus stop

on their collective farm. The finery

of the one they accompanied

was comparable to theirs but looked

dowdier, for she was very plain.

Yet she smiled bravely. When

the bus came, the local party secretary

alighted first and hugged her. Then

came aides, and then her fiancé

(if she accepted him). He stood

straighter than his photo had suggested,

the tic hardly noticeable, had

a shy but hopeful look, seemed used

to silence. By the time

luncheon was over, she was bossing him,

which, grinning inwardly, the party secretary

noticed, leading the applause

Frederick Pollack is the author of two book-length narrative poems, THE ADVENTURE and HAPPINESS (Story Line Press; the former reissued in 2022 by Red Hen Press), and four collections, A POVERTY OF WORDS (Prolific Press, 2015), LANDSCAPE WITH MUTANT (Smokestack Books, UK, 2018), THE BEAUTIFUL LOSSES (Better Than Starbucks Books, 2023), and THE LIBERATOR (Survision Books, Ireland, 2024). His many other poems are in print and online journals. Website: www.frederickpollack.com.