Born in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England, Alexandra grew up with a strong interest in the arts.

She began taking ballet lessons as a young child and had a strong love o theatre, ilm and music. She later trained as a violinist and took a strong interest in English literature, in particular, poetry and lyric writing in high school. She has studied in such places as the !niversity o "estminster #England$, Peridance #%&C, !.S.$, Ballet Arts #%.&.C., !.S.$, and Brunel !niversity #England$. She continues to pursue her interests and work independently as a creative artist, also as a singer songwriter.

RUSSIAN MIDNIGHTS

'edicated to the memories o (r. Anthony "althers and (r. )iril (atveev

Alexandra Gyasi

RUSSIAN MIDNIGHTS

Copyright Alexandra *yasi +he right o Alexandra *yasi to be identi ied as author o this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section ,, and ,- o the Copyright, 'esigns and Patents Act ./--. All rights reserved. %o part o this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any orm or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission o the publishers. Any person who commits any unauthori0ed act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims or damages. A C1P catalogue record or this title is available rom the British 2ibrary. 1SB% /,- .-3/45 657 6 www.austinmacauley.com 8irst Published #79.3$ Austin (acauley Publishers 2td. 76 Canada S:uare Canary "har 2ondon E.3 62B

Printed and bound in *reat Britain

PART ONE

1 In Your Absen e
(idnight neath the heavens And how you say you;re ar. +he rains all to the oceans 1 wonder where you are <ad 1 everything to live or "ould shadows take me too= +he enigmas o the darkness 8or skies that tend rom blue. And a haunting seems to ollow +o tell me where 1;m rom And 1 know that 1;m alive +o ind out that you;re gone. +o say that li e is unny>= 1 orget again to laugh 1 *od wished me to live or this 1t must have been <is wrath. 1t;s unholy then, the ?circus; mounts And how 1 miss your eyes +he ?soul; that breaks an ankle And +he mind behind the skies +o leave behind the moons +o leave behind a sun. +he nature o his heart And o *od, there;s only one.

+he rainstorms as they all +o remind one o what;s real (y heart breaks in the silence !ntil shadows seem to eel +o go to meet the living 8or they are still @aliveA +hen the pain it takes my soul or its heartbeat to survive.

! T"e A##a $ A# T"e Pala e

Im the false accused and damned I am The Dead thrown in the well And they would lie unto a child Neath the gods above their hell? The chill u on the air A winters cold in fates Theyd lot to cast their suffer Id watch them cross the gates! The soldiers and their sarcasm The souls they always rumour To watch the devils ta"e each life The lowest form of humour

% A Prayer
#n.b perspective o mixed race author addressing ?Christ; ie ?&our hair unshy to wrath;$ Show me the skies B ?8or a mirror know it; Son Ce lected in <is heart "hen the (orning was begun +he storms that crash the heavens +heir natures and these veins +he airs as they blow through me #(y$ re lections washed by rains +o have ever seen &our soul &our eyes as &ou would cry And so too am 1 thank ul 8or 1 breathe Beneath that Sky. +he Angels by the 'awn +he manners o a path +he nature o &our <eart >&our hair ?!nshy; to wrath

& 'orbidden (o)e

+he hurts that cut in countless ways 8or 1 was not another +o look unto the sky at night And then, there is the other +he way my heart would beat or you So much it almost rightens me Beneath the witness o the skies 1 do like thee, 1 do love thee. 8orever and or now, %eath stars as they would glow. 1 yearn unto your shadow #!n$til all 1;m le t to know is +he sky within its sanity +he solace o such name. +he mystery o the days that pass (idnights in the rain 'on;t say orbidden love 8or skies know such a law 'on;t let me by mysel this li e +he way they did be ore.

* T"e Abandon
+he tears o the rain +he way they drown my skirt. And devils know not sorrow +;is why they do not hurt Cold and oreign days Soulless Dails that they braved Please don;t turn your back (y heart is lonely and unsaved.

+ Please ,e Pa#ien#
@And show me a heart +hat loves without reason 8or tell me o *od 1t would never know treasonA. +he mimes o inal hours As though 1 spoke without a sound +he ?gashes in my back; So 1;d look down to the ground +he poison in my veins +hrough the heart beat in my chest +he nights would save their darkness +he nights o oreign rest +he vultures o the let hal +erminal their reign +o beg another liar +o hope that they were sane. +o tear away rom one place And hope into the next +he doors would keep on closing #(y$ dying consciousness more vexed. Politics and treasons +he scenes and the unseen +he inhuman kind o tory #A$ li eless li e support machine

+he cheapness o the vultures +he scenes about me died +heir asides as they were hopeless And the way in which 1 died. +he natures o opinion +he seen and the unseen <ow ar they tend to go +o wipe the slate clean

- My (o)e
Alien skies And mourning doves +ill all 1 can do 1s> think o your gloves. #hat can I believe As I wonder what is true Though to love you ast the ends of time$ %Is& A thing I always "new And 'econds go so slowly Then the minutes fade away This lifetime As it burns me #ith The (ours to a day +he darkness as it calls +he sun the sky to leave A candle weeps its tears Eur love as it would breathe +he nature and the way o us &our mystery as you stare "hen you enter #in$to room 1 can sense that you are there And how you touch the silence As night alls rom day +he sense o your presence +he room ades away

+he enigmas o our shadows +he dawn as it dyes +he rains as they all ?cross +he cool alien skies A athomless love "here our shadows are rom (y thoughts o you through +he days that have gone +he skies and their storms By the way o your heart> +he shadows that haunt me &ou tear them apart. +he moments that pass us +o live and to learn 1 sense as you breathe neathe +he stars as they burn +he way o your soul +he way that you sigh 1t echoes through me or, the tear in my eye +he beat o your heart +he way that 1 land 8orgive me, 1 ell +hus, the scar on your hand &our world as it revolves (y spirit as it turns +he ghosts that dawn the skies And Eur candle as it yearns=

(y name in your presence &ou know 1 orgot +o ever goodbye you &ou know 1 could not.

. O/iu0 o1 (o)e
A su ocating silence +he days in shades o dolor "ould 1 not walk down eight steps +o 'eem my book in hal a colour. +hese ?Fust or yous; o silence +he "inter as it tears +he skies as they pass over +he memory as it glares +he night all makes a heartbreak +o say then li e is such +o try to stand once more But the pain it gets too much (ercurial the heavens And angels ar above. "ould 1 learn to love the hatred 8or the ?opium; o love An 1n atuating darkness %eath the laughter;s o the devil Sycophantic nightmares +he shadows as they revel +he politics o animals +heir wars and how they prove +he sunlight as it burns in hell +he ?paintings; as they move

+he ascinating 'ead +he oot prints where they walk +he realms o living ghosts +he way their ?storms; would talk

2 Hear#a "e
+he Sky above these prisons +he tears rom one so blue So let the all consume me 1 it really wanted to. (idnight brings her sorrows A ?darkness; to each morn And the skies seem as a desert #A$bove the slights to every mourn "hen stars rest to the day And grounds seem sometimes ?low; (y heart would somehow hurt 8rom another li e ago +he skies above a heartbeat= +o say li e it isn;t air And to ask another sun "ell, +here;s no consolation there +he shadows neath the daybreak "hen wounds are pained and raw And the hours o a heartache "ell they always needed more. #So mine$ a Second thoughted heart= And now +he hurts within its grave And the mind behind the heavens +he solace o its cave

+he shades o this Abandon And heartbreak slaves its ?crimes;. 8or the parallels o hours 'id 1 die a million times