Odessa

Odessa 1955

On the Black Sea, the boy dressed for galley heat
stood on deck, wanted to see the ice flow
he was poverty- thin and too young for the sea
So much ice to see watched too long
got a nasty cold and became ill with a high fever
in Odessa, they sent him to a hospital
What he remembers is doctors in tall white hats
 and rotund nurses who fed him dark beer and plenty of sweets
When feeling better, he walked into the hall
 was offered Russian cigarettes by
other patients, large filters but not much tobacco
He was getting to enjoy his stay, but the ship was ready to leave
No one spoke English, not that it mattered
he only spoke Norwegian
The captain came and took him back onboard
the Russians who had freed North Norway
from the Nazies were popular, but propaganda
in radio and newspaper, said they might invade
the people didn't care and continued to take
the bus
to Ruslan to buy things Norway didn't have
until the border was closed.