Blood Cell Formation

On the International Day of Nauryz
Look for me not among the roses
Nor among the sparks of fountain mist
But among specters, briar and rushes
Play me some blues or maybe a polonaise
Play the shankobyz, use your mouth and tongue
We loved to fall up but now I’m afraid:
In order to love one must fall down
There will be a relapse as in the past
Midnight effusions—enuresis
Blood formation burns like psoriasis
Chills, scoliosis, hematopoiesis
And we will meet—Kazakh zhanie orys
To put one another through sorrow and bliss
A Tatar would have said “Nawryz”
But a therapist: “neurosis”
Translation from the Russian