Sergey Streltsov.
Poetic Fantasy.
††††††††††††††††††† EARTH has not anything to show more fair:
††† ††††††††††††††† Dull would he be of soul who could pass byЕ
†††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† William Wordsworth.
†††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† Composed upon Westminster bridge, Sept. 3, 1802 .
1
May in London is constant
celebration of colors, sights and fragrances. Flowers are dashing to supreme,
and the generosity of this dash alleviates human grief and burden of
conscience. У
Vika Istmina
was on lecture tour with her father, old professor of English literature from
Common sense reigned over
This night Vika spent in
company of six young poets and four poetesses. Small apartment in Marylebone
district was swept by this mob of thinkers and rethinkers
till Martini had gone dry, and tea was on verge to run out. Mystics of every
color they were arguing about poetic intuition as an only way to true poetry.
Quarrel was almost inevitable, but nonetheless hadnТt place.
At
When already in open air Vika
decided not to take taxi and walk to her hotel in Lambeth on foot. Slight
drizzle adorned walls and streets around her in fresh approach of decoration
vogue.
СGod has the purpose,Т Vika
thought to herself. СWhatТs the purpose of mine? Just death
or eternity? Love or mishap? Future
children or children of Future?Т She smiled. It was funny.
And this philosophic mood
pursued her till she found herself on
She heard the voice from
behind.
УGood morning, young lady.Ф
She turned back and saw old
gipsy woman in freaky garment.
СGood morning,Т Vika replied.
УSightseeing and
all this rot?Ф Gipsy asked her.
СQuite.Т Vika answered in the
same humorous vein.
УI live in
СIТm from
У
СNever the less, IТm from
there,Т Vika was almost engulfed by simple friendliness of woman.
УI have Russian book,Т gipsy
put her hand in pocket of her fancy jacket and produced thin paperback edition.
УItТs yours,Ф gipsy gave her a book.
СThank you,Т Vika mumbled, stunned
by old womanТs eyes, taking the book.
УI think youТll die from
love,Ф old woman added coldly, and saying her Bye started off.
Vika look at the book and then
turned to woman. There was no woman on the bridge. Book was СGone MadТ by Dima Novikov.
2
Dima woke in his suite
of СRiasküsteТ hotel somewhere in Baltic
СHere we are,Т Dima whispered,
rising from his waterbed. It was another spring
СLetТs look whatТs here,Т Dima
said to himself and opened his notebook to check for new e-mails. There was one
of them that make him laugh- some girl unknown to him, some Vika Istmina invited him to monthly meeting of some group of
poets down in
СMamma mia,Т
he chuckled, and made it downstairs for breakfast.
3
After flight in his
BMW through Eastern Europe Dima entered into his flat in Moscow. There were few
missed calls on his answering machine. Last of them was from his uncle,
Siberian bishop, it was short Ц УYou, stupid! Marry yourself to anyone while
itТs not too late.Ф
4
PirOGI is famous Moscow
club, with own bookstore and own publishing house, on Nikolskaya
Street in three minutes of walk from Red Square with LeninТs mausoleum. In this
club you can, drinking your wine or beer, read last book of almost any
not-so-famous contemporary Russian poet or listen to his reading of his verses
in rhymes and metre or without them. Young waitresses
in ordinary sweaters and jeans will there smile to you if youТll tip them
modestly or just will slip good word about their service.
Five poets presided by Vika Istmina were sitting around table with cigarettes and
glasses of Coca-Cola in hands. Cigarettes were expensive for occasion. It was
Marlboro, or even Dunhill. In private life these poets smoked cheap native
Russian sorts like Yava or LD. It was funny people,
they sat nervously with touch of conspiracy as though they were about to set up
revolution. With thoughtful looks and self-assured poses they were confident
about everything. Sheets of paper out of HP jet printer or written in decisive
hand made rounds about the table. In half an hour Dima felt exhausted and
almost said excuse and left but obligation in eyes of Vika was straight. He was
lucky, he was published- he must sit. Thank goodness, after ten cigarettes per
the each poet, some young man appeared and took Vika out.
УItТs her groom- tennis
player.Ф
СYes?Т
УHeТs about to win Wimbledon sometime.Ф
СYes?Т
УNever mind. HeТs one of
prominent
5
This evening, lone in his
flat, Dime wrote verse for Vika. She said she loves his poetry on web-site in
English even as more as in Russian. СIt makes you sound like something global,Т
she said.
Verse was acrostic and
acrostic was full Christian name of Vika, namely Victoria.
It was running as follows:
Vicarious sin of poets is to
bore
In rhyme and
language- to be sure.
Come words of wisdom and of
truth
To beat about
without the use.
Off keep the books without
their mark!
Rule of the poetТs УLo! and Hark!Ф
In life and death it has in
swing
A song to sing, a
thought to think.
Dima checked what he wrote and
sent it to her e-mail.
6
Next evening they met in hall
of hotel Izmailovo Delta. For Vika lived with parents
in Izmailovo district. She was nervous.
СWhat do you want?Т
УIt seems that I love you,Ф
Dima answered as simply as he thought possible.
СItТs really bad.Т
УWhy?Ф
СI already have man of my
life.Т
УYou can change the man.Ф
СHow?Т
УJust marry me.Ф
СYouТre mocking at me?Т
УIf honestly- no.Ф
СYouТre so foolish with your
poetry in my name.Т
УSay yes or no.Ф
СCertainly- no.Т
УThank you.Ф
СGood bye.Т She rose and
walked out.
7
This evening after meeting
with Vika, Dima drove to aunt Katya restaurant on Sadovoye
Koltso. They met in her office on second floor.
СShe kicked me off,Т he
explained situation to her.
УDecent girl. What had you
expected?Ф
СWhat to do with decent girls
around?Т
УJust love them.Ф
СTo be just kicked.Т
УWhy not?Ф
СItТs life?Т
УYouТre real!Ф
Aunt turned on TV on the wall.
It was news. And first of them was about Russian tennis player crashed in car
accident to death. His face was familiar to Dima.
8
Healthy girl ever
before, after accident Vika ceased to eat and to sleep, so she was shortly in
hospital. In two weeks she was worn out terribly. Dima
came to visit her.
УHow are you?Ф He said
plainly.
СAngry with fate
like a devil!Т
УNothing more?Ф
СWhat more can feel woman
after that?Т
УAlacrity to new
life.Ф
СThereТs no new life for me.Т
УSo?Ф
СIТm dying, Dima.Т
УWhat I can do?Ф
СJust hold my hand!Т
УVika!Ф
СGood bye,Т she said, and
closing her eyes she passed to better world.
9
Next week Dima was back in
Europe with no plans back in Russia.†
†