The Tsar Of All Boxes Poem by Alexandre Nodopaka

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Do not fear God and feel no shame... Ivan Bilibin

I have been searching and searching
for many years for that special box.

Finding each treasure, one at a time,
I squirrel them in neat Constructivist
arrangements on glass shelves.

When too high each container is stacked
on top of each other in incrementally
diminishing sizes, sometimes in three-
tiered or more pyramidal shapes
propelling my imagination into
the jungles of the Quintana Roo.

Some boxes originated in Morocco,
others from Persia but my preferred
come from Russia. I swear the only
collusion is in their crafty beauty.

It's not that I mind the Arabic
Pythagorean designs to which I relate
cerebrally but my simple heart gushes
with the soulful Slavic korobka.

There's something about the lacquer
that holds the soul transparent
soothing me with childhood memories
of exotic firebird fairy tales.

And what of the colors enhancing
their translucent essence!

I never fear opening a Russian
lacquered box nor fear God or feel
shame seeing Pandora naked.