Ivan Dobnik - Vilenica

298 · Artūras Valionis
A Speech
Given upon receiving a prize for
2nd (3rd, 4th, etc.) place or
Wanting to thank someone for something
I have also killed.
A frog.
Although, looking from another perspective
at this entire sad matter,
It was complicit, perhaps its skin was not sensitive, even then, at six, I was a democrat:
or maybe because there was no water in the fountain,
does it matter, what shape, form, it lies
in the sun, on the rocks?
Distance persistently distorts everything,
I will now find several reasons –
for what or why:
first of all, because it let this happen,
didn’t even stir,
only from the strike
(I think you all know how annoying this is),
Well, like so – because it is unstrained
if it doesn’t itch, you don’t have to
scratch it constantly,
it’s all the same,
not a single sound after the first hit,
for, it seems, it has nothing to feel guilty about –
this real reproach
(moreover, completely innocent),
Does not even attempt to hop aside,
for it was on our, on our rocks,
which we will still have to get rid of
(oh the sooner, the better?),
for there is no water in the fountain,
it dried out,
as I mentioned before,
both heat and cold muddle the mind.
a dead frog, even if kissed,
will unlikely transform
into some noble character
(honestly, let’s not have any illusions: these days
no one kisses toads or frogs.
Even if someone wanted to – they wouldn’t dare:
most of us are less afraid of a monarchy
than broken blisters on our fingers).
In either case, whatever happened,
concluding, I still want to bring forth
some clarity
and explain, that I was not, am not, heartless,
this just happened:
it was just a frog.
If anything, I can show you a cardiogram,
recently recorded:
I have a heart, and it works.
(Besides, how many times can I tell you:
there was no water in the fountain).
____________________________________
* And why just the second (third, fourth, etc .), you might ask?
– Perhaps there was a lack of talent, or time,
there are so many temptations now, how can one concentrate?
Though, if I had to, I could find other
qualities, no less brilliant:
irritability (sometimes), disregard of others (it happens),
the list goes
on and on, but still, these qualities,
as I understand,
were ignored .
Translated by Ada Valaitis