Ashok Niyogi
In Nakhodka a customs official told me why
The taps come away in Vladivostok,
China is near.
The Sea of Japan
Is clear;
A profusion of rainbows,
Shells on the sand
In my alien land.
And a boat to catch the fish
I was apprehensive,
I knew something would go wrong
In this Îhospitalityâ song.
They caught the fish
And bobbed back to shore,
And asked me to step up
To do the honors in this song.
They had been singing for a while, you see
Nachalniks and workers alike,
Vodka is a great Communist.
You could have it boiled
Or have it raw
Depending on your imbibement situation,
I pretended to have it boiled
And swore vegetarianism
That night.
But human memory is short,
I have the rainbows,
But the vegetarianism I have not.
