Devin Divadlo

By Diana Matusewic

Act 1

I stand on top of a grassy hill

surrounded by

scattered grey boulders

with carved out windows,

the ruins of the Devin Castle

is a slowly fading ghost.

Act2

I'm spinning

as life rewinds,

until I'm paused,

inside

an empty divadlo,

A room of mirrors

decorated with

dimly lit

chandeliers,

high above

the velvet brown seats

framed with gold,

that sit on top of

dark hazel

persian rugs.

The stage is framed

in soft

honeyed curtains,

that spill 

onto the platform.

Act 3

History replays in fast-forward,

day and night change

at a rapid pace,

until the grand finale:

The Destruction

by Napoleon’s Army,

I hear a roar in the distance

followed by a Boom,

glass shatters

around me,

the chandeliers crash,

the blazing furniture

is consumed 

till it's ash,

followed by centuries 

of dark silence

condensed into a minute,

then the abrupt day-lit 

present:

birds perched

on the remains 

of the former castle.

Act 4

As a pigeon 

launches into the air

above my head,

she transforms 

into an eagle,

I turn my gaze upward

to watch this inkblot

soar through

the searing yellow sky.

* Devin – Castle in Bratislava

* Divadlo – Slavic for Theatre

By Diana Matusewic