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Tango of Death
his eyes were so sad that it
seemed like he was no longer
alive, though he kept on
living, but he didn’t see any
meaning of life, he was dying
like an ember, and he looked
as if he had been bespattered
with white lime, was all
pockmarked, but it was not
lime, it was tiny sparrows
sittingontopof thecagewhich
had no roof, but rods, and
they were crapping on him,
gaily chirping and fluttering
their wings. Evidently this
pursuit provided unusual
pleasure for them, and the
eagle, resigned to his fate,
only blinked his eyes sadly
and sometimes just shifting
his weight from one foot to
the other. While looking at
him, we felt like crying, but
we didn’t begin to cry, but at
night snuck into the zoo cage
and quietly opened the door
wide open, but the eagle
didn’t move. Then Yas took
a stick and poked him. The
eagle startled and looked at
us, and then Yas kept poking
the eagle, and he retreated
to the edge of the branch,
until he jumped down, but
he would not leave the cage.
Maybe his wings are clipped,
Yosko said. Then I answered
we’ll take him away with
us. And finally Yas chased
the eagle out of the cage,
who jumped to the ground,
looked around, fluttered his
wings, as if he were shaking
off all the sparrows’ crap,
and then soared up into the
sky. The next day all the
newspapers reported the
news, and then from that
time on the management of
the menagerie had to hire
better guards, instead of the
old granddad, whowas dozing
in a booth at the entrance.
As I’m writing this, spring
is outside the windows,
something disturbing can be
sensed in the air, and I want
this spring never to end....
_____