Marshrutka Girl

It’s 8 AM
The winter sun is weak and it’s gray and it’s grim
And the mud stained windows
Don’t let a whole lot in
13 strangers in a rundown yellow van
And the boys’ breath and the men’s breath
Both smell like last night’s beer and vodka runs
Like father, like father, like son
There’s a quiet desperation
In this academic suburb
North of Kingdom Come
But it’s home
The people’s loss
Is lying there beneath the permafrost
Bankers and some clever oligarchs
Prowl the Taiga like hungry
Tiger sharks
And the boys’ breath and the men’s breath
Both smell like last night’s beer and vodka runs
Like father, like father, like son
There’s a quiet desperation
In this academic suburb
North of Kingdom Come
But it’s home