I. Two Lovers' Leap, Tamuning, Guam
They
say
lovers
flung themselves
off this cliff, their hair
knotted together, intimate,
entwined, tangled as obligation, as family.
The air gasps and turns. Anguished waves break and break, rushing to catch them again and again.
II. Lenin's Tomb, Moscow, Russia
They
say
he's wax
or preserved
by Kremlin secrets.
Believers and nonbelievers
file silently through red light, peer at the face and hands
along one side then the other, emerge into sun, rain, snow—each equally welcome.
III. Bratislava Castle, Bratislava, Slovakia
They
say
its four
stout towers,
one at each corner,
served as sturdy legs that deep night
the weary giant, passing through, flipped it and sat down.
The queen slept soundly, awakening to shattered porcelain, silver goblets on the floor.
