Vadim Terekhin [Russia]

How much passion and how much fire
Existed in the world, ere I aspire?
How many lived, by fate’s command,
Kin yet strangers in this land?
How many sprouted from the ground,
Relatives in me now found,
In the circle of endless motion,
Reflection, intersection, devotion?
I see them standing in a row,
Their eyes through darkness ages glow,
Gaze upon me from a realm unknown,
With hope so clear, unmasked, full-blown.
It is I, their distant guide,
Who must bring peace to this wide tide,
Setting out upon a distant way,
To God give what is His for aye.
It is I who carries on their quest,
Must deceive no soul, stand my test,
Live a life without pride or guile,
And pass their hope, mile after mile…
 
 
Almost Water
 
Human, almost water —
Spills through cities, ever-changing faces,
Flows, shifts, without a master,
Through time and space, in endless races.
Deep within, he dreams of Heaven,
Yet walks the path he should not take.
Pours beyond the edge — unshriven —
Dousing Hell’s pans, for mercy’s sake.
Human, almost water — see? —
Once you’ve met, you can’t retrace:
Never greet the same soul, free —
Twice within one fleeting face.
Always different, day by day,
In a shell that’s never still.
No — while living, come what may —
No fixed point within him, nil!.
 
 
Tree
 
I am a tree — I’m growing tall! 
Each year a ring I gain; 
I reach new heights, I wear a new face, 
As seasons come and wane. 
 
The winds may shake me, to and fro, 
Yet in my heart I keep 
A shield of bark, a spirit strong — 
Unyielding, firm, and deep. 
 
I am a tree — a home for all! 
No bounds can hold me tight. 
I offer shelter, nest, and rest 
To birds who seek the night. 
 
I point my branches to the sky, 
Showing the heaven’s way. 
And in that gesture, I become 
A cross all must convey.
 
 
 
Author’s Bionote:
 
*Vadim  Terekhin is a poet, public figure, General coordinator of the BRICS Writers Association, co–chairman of the BRICS literature network, Chairman of the Board of the Kaluga Regional branch of the All-Russian Public Organization "Union of Writers of Russia", full member of the Academy of Russian Literature (Moscow), Corresponding member of the Petrovsky Academy of Sciences and Arts (St. Petersburg), member Board of the World of Words Forum at the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Foreign Corresponding Member of the Brazilian Academy of Literature (da Academia de Letras do Brasil - ALB), Honorary Advisor on Global Cultural Issues at the Federation of World Cultural & Art Society (Singapore), poetry expert at the International Literary Association of the ACC Shanghai Huifeng, Deputy Minister- Head of the Department of Culture, Art and Cinematography of the Ministry of Culture of the Kaluga Region (2009-2014), Co–chairman of the Writers' Union of Russia (2013-2023), actual State Councillor of the 2nd Class of the Kaluga Region, veteran of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. He is one of the most famous contemporary Russian poets in the world. Laureate of many international and All-Russian literary prizes: the Prize of the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art, the international Slavic festival "Golden Knight" (twice), Recipient of the badge of the Patriarch of Moscow of All Russia "For Contribution to Literature" and the diploma of the nominee of the Patriarchal Literary Award named after Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, the Kirill Turovsky Prize (Republic of Belarus), Orpheus on the Danube International Poetry Festival (Serbia), Silk Road International Literary Festival (People's Republic of China), Poet of the Year by the People's Republic of China, Rabindranath Tagore International Literary Award (Golden Bust, India, Bhopal, 2022), Kathak International Literary Award (gold Medal, Bangladesh), Honorary Prize of the 12th International Festival of Culture and Arts "Babylon" (Iraq), He has also received Honorary Diplomas from international literary festivals in Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Indonesia, Italy, Turkey, the UAE, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, and many other countries. His works have been translated into all major world languages, including Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Malay, Vietnamese, Romanian, Turkish, Serbian, Macedonian, Greek, Tajik, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and Yakut.