Words, words, words

Reading Hamlet
by Anna Akhmatova (tr. Andrey Kneller) [x]

I.

The graveyard, wasteland, then the shore,

Where the river shines cool and blue.

You told me: "Get thee to a nunnery or

Find a fool to marry you..."
That's the sort of thing princes say, I know,

But I'll never forget this one, —
Like an ermine mantle let your words shine and flow

For many years, and on, and on.

II.

As if by mistake, beguiled,

I used the familiar "You..."
A flashing shadow of a smile
Lit up your face anew.
When one blunders so absurdly,
Gazes will alight...
Still I love you, like some forty

Tender sisters might.

***

Hamlet Tries Prozac
by Tawanda Mulalu [x]

Hamlet tries it and suddenly the firmament's floating.
He takes Ophelia out on a date, says he's sorry for being a dick,
and they make faces at each other over a steak that's too well-done
but he doesn't berate the waiter about it. He just chews the steak
and Ophelia dives into the ribs, stickied fingers playing over
the bones with a newfound sense of comfort. Later, when they take
a bath together, she'll look at his ribs and poke at them, pretend
that in between them flowers might spring out, that imagining
this might make the next bit a bit easier. He's gentle,
which she appreciates, but it doesn't make up for his pale
skinniness. He's sleeping now and she's looking at his ribs, then
presses a finger in between one of her own, finds no difference.