Dostoevsky blues

it was

hard to plow through

the Russian

novel, 

every character had a strange

name.

not a Steve

or Sally in the whole book.

though a Dimitri and

Anton did appear.

i had to take

notes

and make a flow chart

to try and make

sense

of the meandering

and complicated plot.

i carried the book

everywhere i went that summer,

on buses,

to the beach,

to bathroom to the park.

i wore the cover

off before i reached the middle.

i never finished it.

one day perhaps, but

maybe

i'm just not that smart.