Навальный. Космический полёт. На английском

SPACE ODISSEY


I wouldn't say
it's real hard for me
to serve my time.
As the saying goes,
you're a prisoner
in your own mind.
But when I look around,
it's perfectly clear –
I'm not in jail now,
I must be on a starship.

I've got a simple
spartan type cabin:
an iron bed, a table,
a narrow bedside locker.
On a starship
the comfort is not a top priority.

The door is
remotely operated
from the bridge.
And I see figures
clad in uniforms,
who would only use
a few standard phrases
with the red light
on their body cameras
never going out.
These are
the service droids.

I do not cook for myself here,
my food
comes to my door
on an automatic trolley.
My plates and spoons
are made of shiny metal.

Just like in a Sci-Fi movie
I would talk to the bridge
on the intercom
when a voice
comes out of the wall:

"Crew member 302,
prepare
for your sanitary treatment."

"Yeah, sure, I'd say,
gimme only
ten minutes to finish my tea."

You see, I'm on a starship now,
rocketing towards a bright future.

Being a true
science-fiction fan,
could I
have missed out
on such a space odissey
even
if it's measured in years?

There's no way I could.

Yes, travelling in space
is dangerous.
And there's a chance
you won't discover
anything at all.
Navigational errors
might cause your flight
to take so much longer.
An unlucky asteroid hit
could destroy the ship
and the mission
is over.

However, there's help too.
A friendly signal.
A hyperspace tunnel:
hop,
and you jump right to your
destination.
Hugging the family and friends
in a wonderful new world.

...

Of course, there's one big
difference to the space movies.
I'm completely unarmed.
What if some
xenomorph
alians board the ship?
I doubt,
my teapot will be enough
to ward them off.

I could sharpen a spoon
against the wall, though...



В оригинале:
Алексей Навальный. Космическое путешествие. Письма из заключения. 2021
"Я не в тюрьме, а в космическом путешествии..."
www.instagram.com/p/CLY8tUGlk1m/?img_index=1

На иллюстрации:
Похожая на нашу планета "f" в обитаемой зоне звезды Кеплер-62
(Источник НАСА)

Alexei Navalny. Space odissey. Poems from the prison diary. 2021



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