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A pearl of a park, oasis of wildlife,
where a pristine unploughed steppe
is daily filled with singing larks,
dotted with hundreds of pools and lakes,
with pungent coastal marshes, too,
healing mud and cleansing breezes.
Lined with slender snow-white sands
that lie between two Black Sea bays,
home to pods of dolphins teasing
boats that travel in the seas.
Here, the red deer roaming freely
roll in mud when they’re in rut.
Pelicans, waders, common eiders,
spoonbills, graceful swans and ducks
rest at this oasis, flying
to and from their seasoned homes.
An ancient lighthouse stands against
pristine dawns and sunsets still.
But not for long. The muscovites
have now declared this peaceful haven
a “pleasure” park, a hunter’s heaven,
and hell for all that graced its shores.
April 27, 2023
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