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Margarita

WRITTEN BY SICHEN LI

from the Master and Margarita

                       walk as you breathed last night

              (too heavy for a girl your size)

      like dew like zest like love

grown weary of the waiting


still

in moon-flooded waters-

     you wait

              for another mercurial noon

                     in another’s malarial gaze

                          with the mind of a child who likes

                                   to dream of the master’s return'



                                          Azazello speaks:

                                   rest gently in some ablution

                           in swollen streams

                   the satyrs forsook

             and write an indictment of him


                    the professor will see you in moscow!


                           livid cerise,

                                  infernal delight,

                                        satan’s rout is a pleasing thing

                                                 you’re stark naked

                                                     you’re up soaring

                                                 your knees are blue

                                            (kissed by complacent lips)

                                  and joy reigns, untrammeled

                        by sights of half decaying meat


                                you’d do anything for him

                                        margarita, margarita, Margarita!

                                               the resurrection of valor

                                                    (evil brews evil, so we can learn to love

                                                              like you)

                                                              & heaven is no place for the brave...

Sichen Li is a current high-school junior. In her free time, she enjoys reading literature, writing poetry, exploring philosophy, and taking photos on her analog camera. Her favorite book is the Master and Margarita, and she aspires to be an author someday.

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