Watching Russian TV

This one is a sequel of sorts to the end of the last poem.

                           Watching Russian TV

I tune in on the middle of an American
movie, which would be confusing enough
since I haven’t seen it before
and since John Cusack and Morgan Freeman
both seem to be bad guys this time,
but what is worse is each time they speak
there is a Slavonic echo –
not quite dubbing,
more like spoken subtitles
so that, since I don’t speak Russian
and the English is half-obliterated,
I can’t sort out the double and triple
crossing plot – plus with the Russian added
it now makes it sound like the KGB
is somehow involved.

I can make out the occasional pazhalsta
or spaseeba, two of my four Russian words,
in the dialogue, but since there is a lot
of shooting going on, not many people
are being polite. Eventually, John saves
Morgan, and Morgan shoots some other
bad guy. Then John Cusack is at a picnic
with what seem to be his family
but formerly appeared to be
his hostages.

They are all looking happy
until something comes on
the radio, John’s brow furrows
with concern and
the movie ends
and I’m left wondering:
Why do all the plot twists
come in languages
I don’t understand?