COSMONAUT

	By Raymond B. Kupelian

	I am the astronaut
	Of the destroyed spacecraft
	Who traveled
	From one end of universe
	To outer space
	Looking for the planet
	Under who's breast are kept
	The treasures 
	Of our lost loves
	Aborted longings
	Tormented dreams
	Unbridled sentiments
	Unfulfilled vibes
	And violated innocence...

	From worm like beginnings  
	To the chimpanzee
	As soon we stood 
	On our two feet
	Suddenly 
	With a vengeance 
	Of superman
	We longed and craved
	For the cave.
	And as a wondering monkey  
	We have marketed
	Our humanity
	And also gave away
	Our reasoning...

	It wasn't safe and easy
	My leaping 
	From one planet to other
	I was always scared
	That suddenly one day
	My spacecraft
	Like an omen, 
	Will crash
	To a meteoroid
	Nourished
	With our worst  instincts 
	And mortal sins
	May fall apart
	Like fire ball
	To be engulfed
	By the ocean.
	That my search 
	For real love 
	Will remain 
	As the last chapter
	Of my unwritten will  
	As a tombstone
	Resting    
	Beneath the sea...


--
Raymond B. Kupelian is a recognized author in the Diaspora as well as
in Armenia, where a sampling of his short stories and latest two
novels have been published. Now in his sixties, Mr. Kupelian has lived
in Liberia and Sierra Leone for more than twenty years.  His African
short stories have been translated into English and Russian.