for Crystal

     On this day of cerulean bears
     That across silent eyelashes ran,
     I foresee past blue waters a stirring
     In the hollows of eyes--a command.
     --Velimir Khlebnikov (1885-1922)

  Beyond the constellations of the Bears
  I see reflections of the ancient gods
  And I can see the moon inside your hair,
  Feeling the music pulsing in my blood.
  Beyond the ruins of forgotten cities,
  Beyond the battlefields where myriads died,
  Beyond religions, wars and hollow treaties,
  I see the ancient wisdom in your eyes.
  Let daily sermons fall upon deaf ears,
  Let prophets come and go as they please,
  Let churches go on exploiting fear--
  The truth is the wind, the rocks, the trees--
  It's what I know in my heart, it's what you know
  Each time I look inside your playful eyes,
  And when it's time for you and me to go,
  The truth is in our love that never dies.

                                          February 16, 1997
                                      --Alexander Shaumyan