Three Poems by Yelena Lipatova

Close People

                                      

Sugar dissolves in the glass of water,

Joy dissolves in the empty home,

Close people dissolve –

In busses,

In TVs,

In offices with curtains drawn…

Just

In the dusk of the streets,

In the snow,

In the rain…

Close people are rare -

And they dissolve….

Apples Are Laughing In The Garden

Apples are laughing in the garden.

A pair of grinning boots is running to work.

A flock of leaves is flying by,

Cackling and giggling.

Here is a smiling umbrella!

A newspaper is chuckling in the mailbox.

Clouds in the sky are roaring with laughter.

Raindrops jump into the puddle and –

PLOP!!! –

Happy splashes everywhere!

An old hat is sitting on my head,

Beaming with joy! 

A Painted Wee Man                                                           

A painted wee man
Drew
A balloon.
Then he drew a window,
Opened it wide
And flew out
Into the real
Sky….

Yelena Lipatova is a Russian children’s writer, poet, and literary translator who lives in Salem, MA and works as a freelance translator/interpreter and a tutor. Thirteen years ago Yelena moved to the U.S.  Since then she has written poems, short stories, and novels in both Russian and English. Currently she has 5 books published in Russia. In 2005 Yelena was awarded a medal by the Russian Writers’ Society for a collection of poems for children.  Yelena has also translated several books by Dr.Seuss (The Cat in the Hat and How Grinch Stole Christmas) and children’s poems by R.L.Stevenson into Russian . Her translated poems were included in the first comprehensive collection of Stevenson’s poetry published in Russia.

To read Yelena's work in Russian, click here to buy her childrens' book or read Murzilka Magazine.