Contemporary Man Poem by viacheslav kupriyanov

Contemporary man
extends himself through the wire
together with the murmur of the sea
jams himself into the shell of the telephone
compresses himself
seeks immortality
on a phonograph record
becomes a sea monster
a prisoner of the television aquarium
he becomes more portable
more compact
more contemporary
already he can be switched on
switched off
made louder softer
he doesn't see you
doesn't hear you
he doesn't know you

from Russian by Dasha Nisula

'Modern Poetry in Translation', Series Three, Number 6,2006