Rose
The Story of the
Archangel Mihaela
He saw a woman through a window showing some children
how to make animals out of clay.
The woman saw him standing on the street looking and waved to him.
So he went inside to meet her.
"What's your name?" He asked her.
"Mihaela," She said.
"What?" He said.
He only spoke English and
didn't understand how to say any Slovenian names.
"Me-hi-ay-la," She repeated.
"What is your name?" She asked him.
My name is Charles Wing Krafft," He told her.
"I am named after the Archangel Michael," She said.
"I am named after his wings." He replied.
Charles thought Mihaela was very nice,
like a hot bowl of goveji golaz.
"Miss Mihaela, I think you are the most
vergangenheitbewältigung
girl I have ever met! If you have a boyfriend, please leave him,
sell your car,
move out of your parent's house
and come and live with me in America.
I don't have much money, but I have lots of polka music
to dance to." He told her.
"Sorry Charlie" She said.
"I must stay here and teach these children
how to make animals out of clay.
Besides, I hate stupid polka music!"
So Charles returned home.
But he often thought about Mihaela.
He wished she would come and visit him because
America was so big that he often felt lost in it.
He thought if she would walk to the store with him,
Maybe the Indians would leave him alone.
They lived somewhere behind the supermarket under a tree
And whenever they saw him coming they said,
"Hello Mr. Turtle Egg! Do you have any money for us today?"
Indians can grow hair on their heads, but none on their faces.
Charles could grow hair on his face, but none on his head.
So the Indians laughed at him.
But he gave them money anyway,
And told them someday there would be a big "Polka Pow Wow"
in the parking lot
When his friend came from Slovenia.
"Where is Skookum wawa?" They asked him.
He looked at the rain running down the gutter like a river
Then he saw two blue tears tattooed on one Indian's face
And decided it would take forever to explain to anyone
where this place was and how his heart had gotten there.
"Forget about it!" He said as he put his hands back into his pockets
And walked past them into the store
To buy some lard and paprika.
Because we are not born with them,
We must build our own souls.
Charles began building his as a boy.
Now that he had grown out of it,
He was adding on an extra room
With a silver mirror
To bend moonlight
Into the form of a cross
Baited with hooks
That shimmers like a sea of sardines
On the floor.
"Look, Mihaela,"
He wanted to tell her while he
Cut the pier glass,
"For most men life is a just a habit,
But for me it's a holiday.
I want to share some of it with you,
What man wouldn't!
Time is busy drawing everything on
Towards the source of itself.
We aren't here forever.
If you can't go any of the distance
With me now,
Then meet me along the way later.
We'll step out of our weary reflections
Into the quickening light
Of this looking glass
And rest a moment in my room."