A cosmopolitan's short narratives.

“Welcome to the kingdom of my imagination. Welcome to the world of the unpredictable reality. I live in Florida (sometimes in Sweden). My country of birth doesn’t exist anymore (SSSR). I am writing in English and Russian about my day-to-day life and the experience of living in different countries, observation of people’s life, traveling and fashion. Welcome,” jelena717@gmail.com.

May 26, 2011

Laurel Lee

I know I am not seeing things as they are. I am seeing things as I am.

May 25, 2011

The ghosts from the past.

When I was a child I read a lot of books and sensitive poems of world class so reach bestowed on me by Russian literature. I swallowed thousands of fairytales, sagas, and poems about unconditional love; good prevails upon evil; and happily ever after… They were sculpturing my imagination and perception of life. These works were my teachers, my parents, my friends and my lovers. I loved to watch television too, but it was limited by my strict parents who fostered me by “stick”. As little as I watched TV, I could be punished by banning to watch the most popular program for children, called “The visit of saga.” I still remember so vividly, the program was once in a week on Fridays and I was waiting for it the whole week. The biggest torture for me was to be confined in the kitchen during the sending, washing dishes after family's dinner, and being unable to watch my favorite program. Because it was the only program I was allowed to watch, I had longed for it the whole week. Sadly, when the desirable moment had come, I was punished and quite often. I heard laugh of the others who had been enjoying the program, I overheard some sounds and tried to imagine what was happening on the screen with my eyes full of tears. This fostering method left two deep marks on my behavior: I watch too much of television and I have boundless imagination.


My fantasy was also boosted by profound poems which helped me to create an imaginary place where I could escape from the harsh reality. I believed that by memorizing magical poems which I loved the most, eventually, I will be placed there. I strived to be diligent, and learning poems by heart day after day, I aspired myself to be better.

I am not sure if I am better now, it is not my call to judge. I have not accomplished a brilliant career of a writer or anything else in this matter. But I still cherish the childhood dreams of becoming a good person; a person with a brave heart and prominent deeds.

When it comes to my acquaintance with English poetry, I did not go so far. You have to have English as a mother tongue to enjoy every profound line of old poems, but I try. For the moment, I enjoy reading poems of Edgar Alan Poe and my favorite is “Annabel Lee”:

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may known
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love,
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her high-born kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me.
Yes, that was the reason- as all man know,
In this kingdom by the sea –
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger far than the love
Of those that were older than we,
Of many far wiser than we.
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life, and my bride,
In the sepulcher there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.


May 24, 2011

Just a dream…

Imagine you are surrounded by a big loving group of people, maybe by your family; so much love and serenity beam out of every present person that it makes you feel like you are in paradise. There are no uncertainties, no stress, no hate, no worries, just unbounded love and joy. Surprisingly, the place where you are is an old big wooden house with gigantic glass walls. You see people outside and they are amiable too. It is very warm inside of the house, although the gorgeous landscape of surround hills is covered with snow, with warm, sparkle snow. On the mirror blank surface of water old boats are looming. You turn your eyes to the skyline and it is so bright. You will never leave this place but you have to. This is your dream; you want to stay but in vain. I woke up and tried to hold on my wonderful dream in present. I went on and on, trying to memorize what I saw, but above all, I wanted to keep the sensational feeling, which felt so real, of something that I never experienced in my live.

May 19, 2011



Today is a good today. Yesterday I had Pilates in equipped studio with different Pilate’s machines, today I have sore muscles. Who would have thought about it!

May 16, 2011

Русский юмор и Украинские песни.

Русский юмор, это наше русское достояние. Как ни верти, как ни крути, но лучше чем русского юмора, ничего на свете нет. С годами, я как-то, это забыла. А тут, под влиянием конкурса песни Евровидения, которой прошёл в эти выходные, в поисках информации о русских/украинских певцов, я посетила безмерное количество русских сайтов. Нахохоталась, до слёз. Наша русская выдумка и извороты речи, только понятные истинному русскому человеку, тяжело объяснимы Американцем.

Да, по поводу конкурса, Азербайджанская песня мне не понравилась, я вот Украинская и Французская очень. Русская репрезентация мне показалась слабоватой и пустой, чересчур: « хип, хип, у меня есть джип, джип». Тогда кaк, надо отдать должное украинским представителям, вот уже как 6-7 лет подряд, украинцы занимают почтенные места. Один раз, Украина вышла победителем, несколько раз заняла второе место и всегда входит в первую десятку. Так держать!! Вот еще бы с экономикой Украине разобраться, что бы она вошла в лучшую десятку стран мира, так цены бы ей не было. Я, как-то, чисто из патриотических побуждений, купила Украинские фонды (шляпа!), они сразу же упали на 78% и так и не поднялись ни на копейку. Не хочу продавать, всё надеюсь, что, мол, когда то выкарабкаемся. Надежда умирает последней.

Это приводит меня на мысль о вопросе, который мне был задан вчера, одной из моих подруг, что больше всего мне не хватает в Америке: русского юмора и украинских песен.


May 9, 2011

У нас гости. Всю неделю я посветила нашим гостям из Швеции, очень приятные люди. Они гостили у нас в Январе, и им так понравилась Флоридский климат, что они решили курить маленькую квартиру для зимнего отдыха. К ним присоединилась ещё одна пара старых друзей, и неразлучные друзья провели всю неделю в поисках объекта. Всю закончилось благополучно, и теперь эти приятные люди будут проводить свой отпуск в теплых водах Атлантического океана.