SLAVIC GODS

slavic gods play dominoes

on the battered tables of their lost homeland

they are destined to eternally lay down the tiles

separate wheat from chaff

turn water into wine and wine into vinegar

slavic gods breathing their last breaths

are comfortably aware of their inability

to deal with today’s climate

they remember the good old days before Christ

when sausage was cheap, yogurt cost 11 cents

televisions could be had on credit and there was total confidence

in the days to come

slavic gods quickly lose their tempers

when someone infringes

on their remaining privileges:

memories of questionable victories

subjugation of women and the humiliation of their men

lines for public toilets mineral water for hangovers

slavic gods leave their fingerprints

on tonsils they pull from mouths

gold crowns with bits of food, splinters of sunken ships

hopes for a better life memories of losses

fragments of military marches

slavic gods forget about

their unrelenting atheism only in dreams

and start to believe in god’s greater plan

the influence of sun spots and social justice

as they quietly die of happiness

Translated by Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps