Speaking In Tongues
Guided by Voices

E.Kolchugkin

 Translated by Alex Sitnitsky



The Blind



Staring wall-eyes into wall-eyes of heaven
Lord Glaucoma oversees his vast estates
By cautious steps - O, God, forbid mistakes --
The blind walks near city walls. A raven,


With broken wings, a carrier of woe,
A bad misprint on nature's timeless pages,
Into the crevices of streets familiar for ages,
He slides as easily as Don Juan into a dark alcove.


What do they see those bottomless eye-sockets?
While kids snatch nickels from his pockets,
Thanking the night for chances and behind


Pedestrians tame steps without interfering,
Their whisper follows, "O, send him, Evil Spirit
Like he, himself, an eye-less guide."