Poetry Sunday: July
Just about all I knew of Boris Pasternak was that he was the author of Doctor Zhivago , the book about the Russian revolution that was later made into a wonderful movie starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie. But it turns out he was also an accomplished and honored poet. Here is one of his poems that is all about this time of year, July. "Unkempt" and "meadow-scented," "with summer air and thunder" - yes, that just about sums up our July so far. July by Boris Pasternak A ghost is roaming through the building, And shadows in the attic browse; Persistently intent on mischief A goblin roams about the house. He gets into your way, he fusses, You hear his footsteps overhead, He tears the napkin off the table And creeps in slippers to the bed. With feet unwiped he rushes headlong On gusts of draught into the hall And whirls the curtain, like a dancer, Towards the ceiling, up the wall. Who is this silly mischief-maker, This phantom and this double-face? He is...