A song to a beloved Bard
(To Vladimir Vysotsky)
By Tatiana
Pahlen
Your birthday fell on St. Tatiana’s Day,
We lived in Moscow a few blocks apart,
Shared our mutual friends we bonded with
All knew you were a gift sent from God.
Our paths never met for a rendezvous
I was madly in love with your raspy voice
Like everyone else I pined for an audience,
Yet our pals were averse to arranging it.
Once you mounted the roof of my car,
Spreading your body in the shape of a cross,
You parked next to the House of Kino,
A site I was leaving after dinner.
Only later I learned who played the prank,
Confirming, you were a happily drunk.
If I had known it was you seconds earlier
I would have cheered your amusing act.
I spent one night with a Taganka crew
Your pals from your theater met at my place
To finish a drinking spree we started,
You assured them you would join later,
Right after you heard from your other half
Who was slated to call you from Paris, France.
Yet for some reason, and bad luck, for me
Marina Vladi, your wife, never dialed.
Our best of buddies like Seva Abdulov
And Tolya, the one you called ‘Entresol’
Devoting your song to a tall giraffe,
Became my best pals for life.
They protected me from meeting you,
Fearing it would be dynamite
And the end of your marriage to Marina Vladi,
Knowing your love for poetry.
The tragic news broke our hearts
When you left too soon, burned out like a match
The whole country mourned their brilliant son
The strings were weeping, clinging to a silent guitar.
Who can forget the scene from “White Nights”
Where Mikhail Baryshnikov violently danced,
Following your song “Fastidious Horses”
Giving Helen Mirren, a veteran actress,
An excuse to uncontrollably sob from her heart.
Your artistic mind made a mark in my heart
Memories of your scratchy nerve forever lasted
No matter what decade we just passed
On St. Tatiana’s Day all your songs will be blasted!
January 25, 2016
Copyright
© 2017 Tatianyc. All Rights Reserved.