© 2021 by Maria Muzdybaeva
2. Blank Slate
From the bridge, I watch
the morning fog
swirling softly on both sides of it.
If you took a selfie now,
you could put it in your passport.
The dirty ice of the river
looks like marble
with its cloudy gray streaks.
But of course: this city is a rock—
and can be beaten only with paper.