Part 1: Poem 18: Critic.
Surrounded by books and invisible lines,
My friend, a critic, lived there, watching the flow.
Like a master craftsman of words,
He revealed the secrets without knowing piercing dreams.
It happened, we were looking for plots together,
Where revelations, ideas, plot moves were born,
He said: "The truth is in the shortcomings",
And behind each of them there was a meaning, like in wings.
Through the open pages, like doors,
He could see more than the silence of feathers.
His eyes knew not only the letters,
But also the feelings of people, among the books - the spirit of their torment.
As a critic, he was strict, but fair,
After all, every line in his heart lived.
He drew worlds from end to beginning,
Like the main character - stood on his shoulders.
"Live in the rhythm of the lines," he told me often,
"Don't let falsehood drive us crazy," -
And in response to such invisible calls
I understood - my friend, you call to new foundations.
We argued for a long time, about styles and forms,
He found flaws in words, as if in scars.
"Words are weapons, and therefore armor,"
He whispered firmly, clutching his will in his hands.
But sometimes, when the evening is quiet,
He softened his voice, and his heart was warm.
"Criticism and friendship are a difficult dance,"
But with him, every step was an understanding and a chance.
Laughing at the window, where the sunset shines brightly,
We explored the lines, dreaming of a gift,
About how and who can influence life,
And how important friendship is in art, that it is full of sourness.
My critic friend, you are like the light in the night,
With you, I see more than I would shine in silence.
Your words are like pointers to losses,
But together we find ways to new dawns.
So let our dialogue sound everywhere,
Through the pages, invisible, like digested in a circle.
Together we are strong, and even in a difficult hour,
Friendship and criticism - both - are our transformed class.
And every time the world brings us to its knees,
We will remember how we were looking for meaning in a single hurricane.
I'm not afraid of words or eclimses with you -
Friendship, my friend, is the very light that will not be in the shadows.