We have not
had a wedding
or a baptism
for quite some time.
We mostly
have funerals.
Even when
you ride the train,
all you see is
this black forest
with nothing in it –
bread, but no butter.

 

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/29/world/europe/russia-population-changes.html

Howie Good is the author of The Loser’s Guide to Street Fighting, winner of the 2017 Lorien Prize for Poetry from Thoughtcrime Press, and Dangerous Acts Starring Unstable Elements, winner of the 2015 Press Americana Prize for Poetry. He co-edits White Knuckle Press with Dale Wisely.