Red Crescent

Pink roses float in the twilight park
On a bench sits a family—a wife and two children,
A man who looks exactly like Nicholas II
I snatch a flower for myself

I walk up the street

At its end, suddenly flashes forth
From the black sky a crescent moon,
Impossible to ignore
Like a milk cap mushroom cap split in half
Enormous, blood-misted

I stand there with my rose
Made of star stuff just like you
Unavoidable just like you
Melancholic just like you

When I finally return
Time has passed
And no one sits on the park bench anymore​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Original poems in Finnish by Ilpo Halo. Translated into English assisted by AI technology. Copyright remains with the author, Ilpo Halo.