Life is Occupation

by Svetlana Sterlin

autographed, antiquated town
bustling, possessive pride
pretensions sprawling protectively
over no great art.

garments of the past
wrapped in youth
haloed by the fringe
of being monotonous.

any attempt at ornamentation
is frequently coupled with a cherub’s head.

girls
most of whom had a rather alien appearance
were shouting defiance at their traditional enemies.

life and occupation
the vigour of youthful lungs
glad goggle eyes.

sleepers lie dreamlessly
forever crooned to
by the glamor of traffic.

i can’t describe how i felt
the teeniest drop to the naked eye
i would go down to my grave
unwept, unhonoured, and unsung.* 

*This is a found poem. Words from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of the Island.

After years of relocation, Svetlana Sterlin was raised by her Russian parents in Brisbane, Australia, where she completed a BFA and contributes to Our Culture Magazine and ScreenRant. Her work appears in several publications, including Entropy Magazine, Santa Fe Writers Project, and AndAlso Books’ 2018 anthology, ‘Within/Without These Walls’.