My Temple, My Aquarium

my temple will be
my aquarium,
green plants
of Sadness
muddy waters
of Meditation
round shells
of melancholy

fishes’ blind eyes
of unconsciousness
going up bubbles of Hope
exploding upon reaching
the surface of Life.

translated by the author and Marina Rubin

About Alex Galper

Alex Galper's illustrious life includes escaping to the West from being drafted to Russian army at the age of 19, studying poetry under Allan Ginsburg at Brooklyn College, working across USA as a computer consultant and finally performing his own poetry in Russian and English all over the world. His poetry is a combination of mysterious Russian soul, Jewish "laughter through tears" humor, and American admiration for open-forms and Beat counterculture protest. He has been published in over 50 Russian and English language magazines and is currently the subject of UK documentary "Brooklyn Siberia" to be released in the Fall, 08). Also, he is scheduled to read before Russian-American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan later this year. Currently, he splits his time between New York and Moscow.

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