The Cossacks

Linda Pastan

2002

for F.

For Jews, the Cossacks are always coming.

Therefore I think the sun spot on my arm

is melanoma. Therefore I celebrate

New Year’s Eve by counting

my annual dead.

My mother, when she was dying,

spoke to her visitors of books

and travel, displaying serenity

as a form of manners, though

I could tell the difference.

But when I watched you…

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Creator Bio

Linda Pastan

1932–2023

Linda Pastan was born in New York City and was a poet and essayist. She served as an instructor at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, was poet laureate of Maryland from 1991 until 1995, and was the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1958 Dylan Thomas Poetry Award and the 2003 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize.

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The Cossacks

for F.

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The Cossacks

for F.

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