Autor: by Alexander Fainberg
Authorized translation: by Sergei Zubkov
Illustrations: by Leyla Basharova

Half-moon is throwing dim light. The moon gleam slightly fluxing and refluxing is flowing down over a small foreyard in a typical Central Asian homestead. There is an “ayvan” * in the middle of the yard and on one side of it over the “aryk” ** there is a wooden wheel steadily rotating. This is a “chigkyr” *** . It ladles out water with its large jars from the wide aryk. And Н2О flows down through inclined flumes towards furrows in the vegetable garden and further on to the fields cultivated on the other side of the “dooval” **** . The land is drinking water. The chygkyr stops rotating at the dead of night. And it starts having dreams that flow down from the ruthful half-moon high in the sky.

Those deprived of words never enjoy any human rights.
We’re polluters of Nature’s ancient depths – to the most,
See dolphins leaping out to beaches on ocean coasts –
Agonizing in silent, crazy and desperate loss of lives.

Cut trunks of former trees make no complaints.
Mountains sag under the load of radar sets.
Nuclear darkness is spreading through plains,
And wordless grass is drying out doomed to death.

Neither water nor stone would curse us for the siege.
No words had dogs killed by our pitiless rage.
No words had birds shot down by missiles in flights.

For two millenniums we’ve been begging in Christ’s name,
But still proceeding to exist, completely being lost to shame.
The Lord! To whom thou gavest the human word and rights!
To whom? Indeed! And what was it for? For how many ages have we been failing to reach an agreement? Just try to count them all.

Well, then … why not just talk it over?

Recently there had been a display of new limousines in Detroit. To millionaires’ joy a row of super cars were exhibited standing in splendor and boasting of six hundred horse powers engines each. One can only fancy, if every nation in the world procures somewhat ten such herds, then half the planet ought to be sown with oat to feed all the horses.

* A dais installed in a traditional way at some place comfortable for rest and having meals or receiving guests and honorable visitors, as well as conducting various family events. In continental arid climate it is usually located in the shade under trees and over some waterway (canal, irrigation ditch, etc.).

** It is an irrigation ditch (in Central Asia).

*** A device in the form of a rotating wheel designed for elevating irrigation water (used from time immemorial).

**** A clay fence that is usually erected around a homestead.

But in the case in question not oat crop is needed – powerful cars demand oil! It is Fuel. How much of it will people need to maintain this family of luxury cars? Okay, let’s imagine that we managed to feed them all. Then another global challenge will emerge to its full extent. What air will our great granddaughters and sons breathe in? Ah?.. The air generated by the seas and oceans? It might be so, if it were not for tankers and the disaster which befell the clean waters of these seas and oceans when oil flushes from liquid cargo carriers in consequence of frequent shipwrecks.
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