Lines 1 through 5

John Yau’s “Russian Letter” is a short poem of ten couplets (pairs of lines), with each couplet offering the reader a brief but fascinating image. Yau has stated that the couplet is one of his favorite poetic forms, offering short but concise reflections on specific themes.

The first couplet in Yau’s “Russian Letter” opens with an image of time and the memories and experiences associated with the passage of time. However, this opening image is not offered as coming from the narrator. Rather, the narrator suggests that the first thoughts of this poem belong to someone else. The narrator begins with the phrase, “It is said.” In other words, there is a widely recognized and affirmed theory that the narrator wants to discuss. This theory is stated as “the past / sticks to the present.&rdquo...