there is no drama
 
1.
 
If you want to know a person, look at the landscape

rustling sheets of pencil portraits

without a face
 

beers knocked over at the exact moment

the voyeur turns into a stalker

getting lost in the streets of Strasbourg
 

a tracing diagram of heels kicking back

hiding in a store

wishing for a long-awaited find
 

frustration traveling

along the streetcar line

the elusive stillness of memories
 

freeze frame with the beggar girl
 

his interest in documentary

that breaks with sexist templates
 

there is no drama
 

2.
 
it’s a very specific, very strong thought

an uncompromising judgment

the ability to disengage from everything

that constantly preoccupies

 
The novel copes with ontological dissonance

having matured

but not yet

until my voice rings out

 
unsteadiness is like worn-out machinery

of the Soviet era

like archival dust
 

sliding down the cliff
 

but there’s no drama
 

Translated by N. K.