portraits of red and grey #5 by James Morehead

portraits of red and grey #5

by James Morehead

we try to find the five stars

moscow's hotel cosmos
ten inviting glass doors
                                     ( a little grimy )
eight locked
                    one jammed
one opens

a quick briefing on keys and floor passes :

           we require a pass to enter the hotel
           a pass to get our room key
           we must not leave with our key
           or without our pass

onwards to a row of elevators
nine green slid shut doors
                                          ( apologies and only three in good repair )
ah
the green door opens
                                   our floor
my roomate (phil) and i step out and are ambushed in russian
an oldish woman ''your passes please'' we guess
we hear
she sits to one side
behind a table
and a box of neatly spaced keys
she clasps our passes
                                    exchanges them for keys
                                                                             "go left''
we go
           confused

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