Ruslan Kerimov

I remember the time when I was a kid,
When we played Knights and Queens hand in hand.
We dreamt of a kingdom, we decided to build
A marvelous castle of sand.
...

If I were Satan, to the hell
From godly paradise expelled,
I’d wear not my skin of beast
I’d wear a mantle of a priest,
...

Day turns to night, night turns to day,
A strip of land immersed in fire,
Deaf god will never hear you pray,
Today is black, the future’s dire.
...

A victim of the sky

I
...

My country broke down. Did you hear that sound?
A sound of destruction, a roar of disaster,
Reckless decisions and riots all around,
Nobody figured what would be thereafter.
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You want to soar away on wing of starlit Night
To blinking lights afar, unknown mystic worlds,
Abandoning the past, the remnants of delight,
And throwing out the ballast of unspoken words
...

When you planted me in fertile soil
I was a sprout weak and small
But owing to your care and toil
I grew up quickly strong and tall.
...

When Fall bewails the summer’s shining days
With howling winds and bitter tears of rain,
And gloomy clouds hide the sunny rays,
So I lament lost happiness in vain.
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You, learn to cook us tasty meals
And I will build our home.
You, smile so bright, so that this smile
Could make our dwelling warm.
...

The water on the asphalt glitters with silver,
My feet are too drenched; I will not get a sleep,
Feel cold in my kidneys and pain in my liver
My throat’s desert-dry, my despair so deep.
...

The Maiden Tower

I
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Why every Fall I feel so blue
When northern wind blows from the sea,
And distant memories of you
With raging gushes brings to me?
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I see her dancing on the sand
And making circles on the shore
A Spanish guitar in her hand
I stand there watching her in awe.
...

The world is awakened by Spring, by the rays of the sun,
But someone sleeps fast with his limbs torn apart by a shell,
And someone is very much sad but someone has fun,
For someone this Spring is the heaven, for someone the hell.
...

My eyes irradiate no light,
My soul’s a homeless cat,
It’s frozen and it looks for warmth
On a soft and fluffy mat,
...

Love:

True inspiration I ignite
In every poet’s heart,
...

(I dedicate this piece to my closest friend, Zaur Bakhramov)

Since childhood I had always dreamt
To see an ancient town,
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A wandering pilgrim at the crossroads
Has lost his sacred way,
He’s walked so many miles so far
But he has gone astray,
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The roads of life, they always wind,
They take me high and down,
And make my sleepy eyes snow-blind
With winter’s wedding gown.
...

A tiger am I, lonely, yoked,
A cigarette extinguished, smoked,
A land uncared-for, abandoned,
Alive am I but still a phantom,
...