Translated by Max Nemtsov

The saleswoman shouts, Natasha! Have you registered the return of that green one? That one answers, no (while drinking tea, like she didn’t have time to do that). She clicks tiredly on her worn-down heels and herself reluctantly looks for some rabbit between high shelves. Here, it will be your friend for a long time, take that. And there’s that kid in front of her, about six. White tresses covered with a baseball hat. No, he says, I need a tank please. You don’t get it. It should tear your head off, like this. And he shows it diligently, from ear to ear, so that no teeth remain, and no nose. So that everything dies. Evaporates lest it should come back.

So she says, like, Oh, is that you again? Didn’t recognize you at first. We told you last time but you’re not a quitter. Here’s our employee manual, see? Selling tanks to angels is forbidden! So trudge home, to your mom. Or whoever of you takes care. My granny.

Granny, see those tanks? I myself put them there.

If the time wants to take us from history in that case we alright we’ll fight the time, as if we’ve teamed we’ll look forward however far the eye can see there used to be a field or so it seemed but if you squint there’s a city that is now skeletal yet in the middle of its square there’s a

p e d e s t a l and on it there’s still religious

Lenin pooped on by pigeons

She says so what they kill somewhere not here I don’t even know those names. here we have it all grand five-and-dime is just around the corner I’m all up to here in those discount games. you buy two cream yogurts and get the third one for free. we saw all those american bombshells and all the news about them crooks on tv. all that entire west of theirs will soon arse over tit go to hell. They won’t be the only ones to be floored by us, y’know. It’s just my man takes to the bottle so much but there’s some hope that closer to victory he’d get well.

Slight ly a mouse scratches your skin seems to be covered by the earth you’d dug whatever you carry from your native land will find itself up in your mug

It started like this I kept silent not a peep as you march along the formation silently not knowing where into the dark deep

the march for meat at least like this these puddles drain into some crack you scream but scream inside if it’s loud it should distract

but in this city it’s like this fruit jelly contained in cut glass could anyone take pity on me please? I’m the only coward on earth alas

a morning of a fighter with extremism

you wake up and live anew and in the window shell a blue beast hangs upside down over the church bells