![](https://tbilisilitfest.ge/images/f00cdcb3ee29e9e2f48db59b2613e8f8Alexei_Tsvetkov (1).jpg)
Russian-language emigrant poet, translator, and essayist, was born in 1947, in Ukraine. Together with Sergey Gandlevsky, Bakhyt Kenjeev and Alexander Soprovsky he founded the unofficial group of poets Moscow Time. In 1975 he was arrested and deported from Moscow and in the same year emigrated to the United States. He edited the emigre newspaper Russkaya Zhizn (San Francisco, 1976–77). In 1983 was awarded a PhD degree in philosophy. Tsvetkov taught Russian language and literature at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, worked as an broadcaster at the Voice of America and at the Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty. In the late 80s he stopped writing poetry and turned to prose. In 2004, after a 17-year break, Tsvetkov turned back to poetry. He also writes and publishes poetry and essays in English. In 2007 he was awarded Andrei Bely prize for poetry. For many years Tsvetkov lived in New York. In 2018 he made aliyah and presently lives in Israel.
ASHES
one more thing she says remember
that curious notion of theirs
they believe for some reason
that they will live ever after
and that the cats and the butterflies
on the contrary die for good
they believe she says
that there is someone
who owes them
some of them even know precisely
the sum total of this debt
but we are something different she says
yes i agree completely different
for some reason with us it is
we will never know why and it’s ok
so we keep walking in the tall grass
where cats are chasing butterflies
and leap catching with their paws
only the empty bright air
the butterflies laugh silently
the cats smile in response
another wonderful day
of the unexpected eternity
except for those ashes
grinding on our teeth
Translated into English by author