And on the same theme.
Never read this one before.
It's called "Wormwood," Latin name for which
is Artemisia absinthium.
And Russian word to which is полынь.
"A flight of loose stairs off the street
into a high succession of empty rooms, prolapsed chairs,
and a memory of women perfumed with hand oil and Artemisia
absinthium, Wormwood to me.
And to the sappy Russian sailors, полынь.
A scooped back ballroom gown shows the telltale bra strap--
red, tired, losing its elasticity.
Leave it, my maths master used to say at a dropped pencil.
It can't fall any further.
Well, I couldn't and neither could she."