the Empire had never seen such legions: old men, armed
with bayonets from the time of the plague, town-dwellers, farmers, byronic
black-hairs, reserve lieutenants, an Armenian, having run in from
the melons, Eastern war specialists with ninja swords and bandages, fight

with veins filled with adrenalin, pale, untalkative new
barbarians, zmudy, sarmatians, birdspeeched labusy
most still children, pressing in their handkerchief-wrapped
hands, to hold them better, framing rods

boasted, grew bold, always saying at least
they�d nail some russian paras, and then whatever. One of them,
covered with scars, sat in a corner with that crazy
framework bludgeon, only doubled, smoked into his cupped hand

even though it was strictly forbidden, all around gasoline,
molotovs, smoked, with one ear listening to that
war talk, smiled, white metal teeth
shining like a new unknown weapon, blades

filled with rage, cloaked in poisonous fog, in
another time that sort of smile would be deadly,
the kids seeing it quieted down, and he kept
smoking into his hand, smiled, waited


zmudy - Russian word for Samogitians, North Western dialect of Lithuanians
labusy - Russian army slang word for Lithuanians.

� 2004 by Gintaras Grajauskas