Russia's Dream Poem by viacheslav kupriyanov

RUSSIA'S DREAM

Russia sleeps in a cold dew
and dreams
that she is America:
her chatterers are congressmen
her loafers are the unemployed
her hooligans are gangsters
her drunkards are drug addicts
her profiteers are businessmen
her Russians are Blacks
and she must fly to the Moon

Russia awakens in a cold sweat
everything appears to be in its place
chatterers are chatterers
loafers are loafers
hooligans are hooligans
Russians are Russians
only she must land
in the right place

and Russia again falls asleep
and within her awakens the Russian idea -
that America sleeps and dreams
that it is Russia

Translated by Dasha C. Nisula
From "RHYTHM and FREE VERSE across the SLAVIC BELT" Exile Edition,2023