Voskresenka an ode to a quarter

Avenues and high buildings,
Pathetic and old,
Embroidered with gold,
Light and easy youth evenings,
When we kept forgetting what we were told.
Brightness of mutual misconception,
Streets are full of new voices around,
All we wish for is comprehension,
Then, however, we slowly drown.
Make me your detail, your part, your voice,
Your flag, your intention, your only choice.
Make me the path to our big success,
Let’s do something that can impress.
Reality is torn apart on several levels.
We play guitars, then we toss feathers.
We recall big names of different social strata.
We move fast but sometimes show around later.
Say these buildings will remember us –
So young, so sincere, still touched by bookish dust.
Say you’ll long for me and you’ll be back,
Receiving my best traits in one pack.
Buildings are full of historic faces,
Neither of them should be forgotten.
I still read Alighieri who’s famous,
However, his mystery is set out by Lotman.
And then, for the elitist mind, there’s a game –
To stay untouched, to continue to reign,
To write verses for the sake of knowledge,
To get an honest deal of fame.
Avenues and high buildings,
Hot summers making us drown into silence,
We are so business-like, we keep hiding our feelings,
But they are everywhere, dissolved in twilight.

© Maryna Tchianova, Kyiv, 12.06.2019

Illustration:Voskresenka at night from Wikipedia page containing all Kyiv districts.  © Wikipedia encyclopedia, Wikimedia foundation