Romeo and Juliet of the 21 century. By Natalia Tkachenko April, 2003.
It's the one act play with the prolog and epilogue.
The stuff persons and personages are:
The main heroes:
Juliet - the Slovenian immigrant in the first generation, who is waiting for the permission for work, for now the queen of the kitchen pots and cooking.
Romeo - the Italian immigrant in the third generation, living in NY City, the pupil of the Muse of Arts and honorable craftsman.
The places of actions are the ruins of the old medieval fortress and in the precipices and abysses of Internet.
The second stuff personages are:
The Father and the Husband of Juliet is the moll, who creates the material base of the life in the new country.
The Mother and the Lover of Romeo is Alma- Mater of all the Muses and the patroness of the Arts and Crafts, the Imperative Goddess.
The conflict of main heroes is symbolic like the only once a year blossoming of the branch of Japanese cherry tree - sacra (the symbol of passions of the main heroes) and inability to conservate these blossoming (their passions for ever). The thing, that keeps the main heroes tight to the ground, not allowing their feelings to flourish - is the belonging to the different social structure, clan, the different traditions and background from which they came from, is killing the feelings of the main heroes for ever.
Conclusion: who is guilty? The life itself is the high math not the simple arithmetic with two functions.
Prologue.
In the city there are start to bloom the cherry trees. Their color, like dark -honey, radiates into the retina of the eyes, creating some unknown before irritation and giving absolutely new outlook and view: of oneself, the other heroes and personages. It's even force the author to paint the picture in unseen before colors and shades.
Juliet (from the ruins of the old fortress and from the abysses of Internet):
Ah, Romeo! Are you there? I heard some unspeakable before poetic lines and try to determine whether this is your style?
Romeo:
May be. You send to me your portray first - and then we will talk. It's too many like you slander around in the darkness of the old castle. I cannot have Muse for everyone. And besides I've got tired - I was making the sketches to the portray of the Waking Up Nature! My mother - the Muse of Arts and patroness of Crafts called me here, into this measurement not only to take fun with the girls, but to create eternal masterpieces!..
Juliet:
Ok, I will send you my portray with the fastest mail - electronic one, so, you please, be so polite bring with you to our next dating several of your artworks - I want to enjoy the landscapes which are opened to you from the high of your balcony!
Romeo:
Still life you said and water color? I already worked out all my paint, but thanks to the modernity I still have picture film - I will picture all I draw before and mail to you in the envelope. I need for every new meeting ask the permission of my Mother and Lover in one face - the Muse. And I do not want to disturb her with small trifles, not knowing for sure if I really need for the date with you the precious time, which the eternity measure for me fro Arts and Crafts...
Juliet:
Dear Romeo, d not worry please so much. If you cannot come- do not! You better give me your telephone number- I will make you call from the ruined wall of medieval tower - there is small apparatus there for the connection with eternity.
Romeo:
Ok, here it is... Write it down (he gave the number)
Juliet (with fever looking through the white pages):
It's interesting to what state does the number belongs to? Ah, here it is - the small town near the Great Lakes!
Romeo:
Ha, foolish girl! She gave her telephone number. And what will say in the case I will call her first? I am curious: what is the place she lives in? (He moves his finger along the big map). Ah-h-h!.. Here it is- the small settlement near the Gulf! It should be hot there- not like near our lakes! Yes, besides, the county they live in is feudal back warded and former slave owned!
Romeo remembered clearly how his Italian ancestors run away from their native land to the new continent in 1884 to escape from the other from of slavery- economic one. And how many hills of urbanites garbage they were forced to shovel in order to create their own garden and oasis. So, Romeo, tortured by the family reminiscences about the past, putting on the black from stretch clothing mantle, retire behind the scenes.
The second scene is on. The hall of the old castle is seen. Fountain is spring in the middle. Behind the hedge there are cackling the geese, grunting the piglets, drawling mooing the cow. Juliet with the dragging behind her ball's dress with the long lacing, putting it inside the waistband, is cleaning the kitchen stove.
Juliet:
Oh, how I get tired from you, dear stove! I spend years to please you and you again, every morning covered with soot!
Then suddenly interrupted for a while as if enlightened with the super though she exclaimed:
May be you are enchanted?
Somewhere at the back yard at the same time there are cry the children, waiting for her porridge, from time to time crawl around the busy Moll - he is the Father and Husband of Juliet in one face. And in the soul of the main heroine in the cooling breeze there are sing the birds their sweet songs, and start to boom such wonderful tropic flowers that the reality dos not exist any more, just loose all the previous sense and the scene moves now directly to the soul of the main heroine, smelling with the crisp herb's smell and the cosmic liberation
Juliet:
Oh, how many years I `have already been on this Earth, and married was not once, not even twice, and the whole world caused not only my smiles but tears too, so I worked out my values and principles. And it seemed that I know what I want, but I did not grasp my mood for this time... What I want now is to take off my long and heavy dress and run away to the desirable blinking with green meadow! Something woken up in me- some wonderful but strange forces So, I do not know, from where did they come from and for what and with the medieval fear and warning in order to get rid of the agony of exhaust, she declare: “go away from me, the devil's force!”
But the “force” does not leave and Juliet continue to smile to something invisible...
Then unexpectedly behind the scene there rang the ding of telephone, and the green meadow along which was hop scotching the nude Juliet in a minute shrunk and became the chagrin skin of the not powerful any more, satisfied desires.
- Hi! Yes, it's me, Juliet! And who are you? Ah-h! (Immediately her voice changes and from the trustworthy gets the tones of the frightened pet...)
--
That's me, Ro -Me-O!
--
Oh-h! I? What I am doing? Was not expecting for your call! No, I was... (And in the telephone there become the total silence, it seemed that Romeo has come to get the fatal harvest of her shyness... He does not feel sorry for this scared, gotten into his trap, bird- she wanted this herself!)
Juliet is continuing to mumble something, giving at once the bouquet of the various, absolutely not interesting details and suddenly... On the screen of Romeo's computer there sparkle the blinking red flag of the Internet -massage: “You got the new mail. The name of the sender is Juliet. Check, please, you mail!..”
Something like cold blade touched the back of Romeo, some fatal force starts to breathe heavily into his right ear. And all his muscles became tense and tight. And his heart was filing with the foreseen of enormous danger. He opened the message...
Act third, nowadays. It is the dialogue of the Internet screen letters and images.
Rоmео: "Juliet, my first impressions on you pictures - here goes... Hot, very hot... the last photo you sent - TOTAL chemistry, attractive, huge wet dream, totally unexpected, confusing. The call, absolutely wild, my easy laugh at times seemingly inappropriate I will explain to you by saying that at times I was zoomed out by your conversation into a huge and vast vantage point where I witnessed the incredible diversity of being we the people of this planet experience while knowing that we all have the same fundamental, basic, identical desires - love, family, friends, success, respect, comfort, safety, our work... Juliet, your conversation, for I said little, but maybe too much, probably not as well expressed as I intended was electrifying but difficult for me, you need to know, the language thing. You express yourself extremely well in English your third language (me, I speak “American”) but the accent, sometimes the missing word, the weak phone connection caused several gaps in my ability to comprehend the specific while at the same time I basked in the passion, fury, anger, the power of your spirit. You, DEFINITELY, a type, a personality! To sacrifice to come to Mississippi - CRAZY, you in Mississippi! - Our South, The South, the Confederacy, they lost the war (our Civil War) and still hurt and still do not believe they lost it, our south the home of our slavery, home of our own extreme religious right wing fundamental Christian coalition. Ah what we creatures do to each other in the name of GOD! Oh yes, TIME, I tried to explain my time perspective thing, trying to connect with your Astrology thing, Slavic spirituality thing, yes TIME - there is NO time, time is the trick of the mind, a delusion, there is only NOW. All time exists in the present. The past an inaccurate fantasy, the future only a delusional attempt to escape our existence. Everything has already happened, I have already made love to you, a thousand passionate times giving to you every last drop of the life in me, my essence for LOVE, never to be sure that you LOVE me as much. You, you have already become famous, your daughter already displaced, your husband already angry, you yes you, Juliet, exploding with life, passionate about your homeland, pissed off that there were (are?) no good men left (ever?), oh yes those American boys - easy prey for a vampire seductress, soft, delicious, delectable, controllable, “weak,” but be careful, Juliet, remember you are in Mississippi all is not what it seems. What do you want, Juliet? What do you need? You are very, very strong, you have a huge feminine army of like cultured, like displaced, like strong, like angry, like beautiful, like, likeable women comrades. That is good, it helps, but it does not resolve into peace on earth. That peace, that most extremely distant, impossible possibility in NOW TIME! Wow, what can I say, I am flipped, I am thrilled that I spoke with you, I am thrilled with your photo, I AM! Thank you, Juliet ... Ahhhhhhh..."
Juliet : "Romeo, dear! Morning! What to say... I had no romantic feelings from ... long ago. So, it was my first defining of my feeling yesterday and the day before - I got them back!!! I am still alive! I will not hide this from myself or even you - I felt those two days such nice love vibrations, which does not happen with us every day and even every year. And unlike the heroine of the Movie "Bridges over Madison County" by C. Eastwood I do got from the beginning that the life does not give feeling gifts too often...
If I was in my county, where I was INDEPENDENT to do what I consider to be normal, I know what I would do with you... I will imitate the angel of myself, invite you to my apartment to the dinner party and then will slowly make you all erotic tortures with the firework of mutual gratitude and relaxation at the end...Joke! Literary one...I am the author of the erotic storybook published in Russian language at the end of the second millennium, do not forget this!
...Dear Romeo if I and you where in my past life in my country I would take you to the nice evening walks in our beautiful Botanic garden with 1800 kinds of plants from all over the world, and we will melt in this aroma of the air, with the sparking stars above us and nobody around. We could put the hand on each other arms and walk together in nowhere...And then, the spring or early summer delirium (the other weather factors in my city - will be gone, or something unexpected like work, problems will destroy unbelievably beautiful tale, which we screen played together. Or may be you would go to the other land to work, or may be you will return back to your past? Or may be I would feel that I should not cross the line - who knows? And the only knots left will be mild reminiscences, which belonged to two of us-and nobody else. Which we keep, protects, hide from anyone, and suffer from them, getting strength when needed too -lovely reminiscences. Feelings - its like alive child. He grows when you treat him nicely and pet and feed well...
But for now, the reality will come quicker then romance will last. You are not even living in our village - joke! Or, damned American territory sizes and three times blessed and damned Internet! I am still dependent- I am still NOBODY in this country, I need to learn how to become handsome and stand on my own feet, how to upkeep myself, not depending from anybody. Plus all the romance is good while it fresh -you know that. And we do not know if we both like tomorrow the tale we wrote yesterday. So, we need to smell the flower while it blossoms. In this you are right... In some other stuff, dear Romeo, too, by the way. And its great that you first wrote what you wrote- I would not dare this fantasies aloud on my own initiative without you pushing me ahead a little bit...
I will not give any scenarios for you now. I can propose them may be dozen, but everybody like to write their own...You are not the exception of this rule, its for sure. Lets for now not try to grab both this beautiful bird, which sing these sweet songs. Let's watch it first, listen to it. Who knows for how long does it intend to stay?..
Any case I am very thankful for the life and circumstances and some people (watch in the mirror, guy) that I once again see, feel and hear the small miracle. Even if the reason is not two of us - but only the transits of such planets as Venice, Uranium and Moon, passing by our house of Pieces?! May be it just craziness in the air? A, Romeo?.."
Rоmео: "...Ahhhhhh the fantasy made real is no longer the fantasy they say, you say. This is true, not true, she loves me, she loves me not???? BUT to love even foolishly is far, far better than to nothingness! Give me foolishness! Juliet, chemistry and destiny! The look, especially the smell, of a woman that drives the soul crazy with desire. I too have loved before. A rare and wondrous thing that my spirit seeks anew forever believing that with just a little luck and patience I will have that again and I will be better prepared to nourish the fire when it only smolders as fire tends to when we gaze too long and stop the work of feeding it. The spark comes but once BUT the fire CAN live forever. DOES in fact live forever. The torturous, sublime moments together where in touching you melt into the other and feel the whole universe concentrated in intimate contact. When in that passionate embrace to want, need, have to look into the eyes of your beloved to need, hope, wish to see her looking back at you that way. That way! To know that this is the moment to create! To be willing to give everything without caring about me and then the joyous surprise to be cared for in return. To be rewarded for love with loves - the true miracle worth a thousand reincarnations on the way to oneness. Thank you, Juliet, for your honesty, your words, cautions, experience, you are wise. And thank you also, Juliet, thank you for the inspiration that made me dare to the fantasy of you despite our wisdom!"
Джульетта: "...Romeo, I was scared to open your e-mail till 17.00 Sunday. I was afraid not so for myself - but for you. It is big torture to keep fire...Only when the sun starts to get down, spreading power in the air, red, sparking fire- I dare and open... It was nice touch...I was supposed it will be nice...Here is some picture for you below of the small magic half destroyed house - like our destinies - made today in the spring blossoming season not far from Mississippi Lincoln Lake. Accept my tender hug with it too. Yours Juliet"
Rоmео: "...Juliet thanks for the photo. Our spring has not sprung, our lilacs not bloomed yet but you should know that for me there is no half destroyed destiny with you. I remain thrilled that we have talked and wrote and there is for me no pain (yet) as there has been no risk that has not been returned with a smile and honesty. That means a lot. I hope you are happy and that we can get to know each other better. I am very interested in learning about your country and the places you have seen that I should see. I would love to listen to your stories and your dreams. I am impatient to read your works (after completing my taxes that is!). We may never consummate but maybe we already have in a special way... anyway to have composed a dream for/with you has been sweet. Sweet dreams Juliet..."
Джулетта : "...Romeo, dear, as they say in Japan I guess: "Never say never" I lived very freely first 35 years of my life, following the dreams That's why I consider myself big dream maker. And I was absolutely mad knowing that this time life blocks me the way (may be for a while) saying "No Passaran" (I guess in Spanish it mean "No trespassing") But I still like our Internet sublimation, as long as they brings some smile to both of us from time to time, not only the headaches.
I guess you have very passionate bloods, what are they: Italian? Others? I to say honestly was so puzzled with this chemical reaction (I thought I was already too old for this) that's why I was trying to find esoteric reasons watching yours and mine horoscopes in sinastria (one on the other) and current transitions. It cooled me down for a little bit, because without knowing you personally in reality I got some info what you like person, inside. Its great cocktail of planets, 4 of them in the proper houses-its rare for you generation, you are Raja (spiritual leader) in Indian hierarchy... OK, I will postpone all this small nonsense for you, but you have beautiful feeling of harmony (Venus in Taurus) you are Big inspired traveler (Jupiter in Sagittarius on the Medium Coaly, 10-th house - its the life targets), you have active Mars in Lion together with Pluto-you are SO passionate, at the same time Saturn next to them keep all this under the control. Besides you have Sun 2 degrees 46 minutes of Arias-it means sometimes life make from you karmic goat of escape But not all the time because you have big triangle of strong planets in fire Zodiac (Lion, Sagittarius, Arias).
You can be magician of the fire. Let's try to walk on the cooling coal, I was doing this once in Moldova - snow and almost hot coal of the fire -- great impressions, all the organism wakes, then disaster-sleep, sleep, couple of days. Further on about Horoscope. You do not like children (if you ever had them - Saturn in the 5-th house, sometimes it means limits on the love and children issue) Your Moon - soul sometimes brought you in melancholy (It is in Virgo) Neptunium - sensor in Libra- you can move on diplomatic career and you mad to catch all the women Pieces of the Universe for now- because this Neptunium, their main planet pass you house of Partnership, 7- th house. OK? Enough? I am small crazy monkey who was unlucky to be blocked in the forest when the clock want to beat - I have GREAT once per year transition of Venus and joining it with my natal (born time) Sun -our life power.
Somewhere next time, next life, in some other star I will catch you, for sure and weather you will be married or girlfriended, widowed divorced or handicap impotent I will take all the advantages of my nowadays emotions. You will get them BACK!!! So, be causeries of the blond with blue eyes, telling you nice stories about the life over the Ocean!!!! Sincerely, Juliet"
Rоmео: "..Juliet, I am not sure what to say. That what you know of me (oh so little so far) earns me the promise of your love is a treasure I will not squander. That you have turned to the stars to locate me in the universe is exciting. So I will give you one more detail to help you pinpoint me. I was born at 10:44 PM EST in Brooklyn, NY. I am third generation Italian (both sets of grandparents were born in Italy). The kid thing is interesting to me as I have for a complex set of reasons chosen to not have children (as yet). I thought the reason(s) was to avoid the possibility of caring too much and/or the fear that I might be too much like my own father, which caused me to have a difficult childhood. I have always enjoyed being around kids. I choose my first wife because she already had a kid and felt that my not wanting children of my own would not then be such a great sacrifice for her. I am still very close with my ex-step daughter, husband and three kids who live near by and whom I see often. With the incredible love of my life I considered having the child of ours she wanted but hesitated in private adding tension to our perfect mating. We remain close. My second wife I married because she got pregnant which she though impossible. In the end she lost the child. We were not well suited so it did not last. We also remain close. Know one I have met can understand that I am not a jealous person and unlike most I could never dislike someone who was intimate with me. There are very few people in fact that I dislike enough to want to avoid/hurt. The other possibilities of me as the planets continue their dance in the universe suggest many exciting experiences for as an Aries Ram I have been true to my sign. I forge ahead without looking back. I have no regrets. I treasure every moment. I dare to believe in the possibilities of harmony in the universe as opposed to chaos. I feel the tension of the times and believe that things are tending toward disaster. I will try not to be afraid.
I am finding you and your many talents very exotic. I am surprised that at 37 you felt finished with love and passion for you are young, so young, and I promise that you will not be done with “all that” for many years to come."
Джульетта: "...Romeo, salute! Have you ever been to Italy? Romania centuries ago, then Moldova was settled with the crap of Italian society - thief's etc. was exhaled over there. So, if you even will have luck to visit Bessarabia (Romania and Moldova) you will find this people very similar to those whom you see in you NY Italian families. The same temper. Hot passionate women, ugly looking men deeply in wine. I can find you friends to stay while there -- it could be great emotionally. Very warm atmosphere. Many extremely beautiful women -- economic crises make them available. Lowlife standards. American likes to travel there -- all is cheep: restaurants, living, fun Bright nature - especially early spring - April blossoming and October leaves fall.
My husband also was born in NY (Staten Island) in pure German family (also three generations His grand grandpa was the first German by the way who brought photo camera to Manhattan - its from the Mother's side. They still should have this somewhere in museum over there. The other German folk - also from his mother's branch was one of the designers who design the World Trade center and the other buildings like Brookline Bridge if my memory do not lie to me. His father was many years working on Manhattan as engineer) its already 20-th century. This folks live all their life in NY and Connecticut; only 20 year ago they relocate to MS (grandpa and grandma-87 and 85 y. Old) Nice, perfect people. They have so spiritual atmosphere in their old house and life and even their forest is magic-rare animals come simply for the house-they does not allow anybody to hunt here...
When I first flew to America the first city I saw from the sky was NY - I felt that I returned back to something, which I knew before. This was like you already was in this movie. I knew I was there before, past lives. Rare feeling. NY was nice to me -- my friends - professor in sociology and movie director and his wife with Natural American roots took great care about me - NY was mild and kind to CIS child.
I was there again with my daughter - last April on Easter. I wanted to see her reaction. She was cold-driving through the sparkling night bridges - I asked what was going on, she replied that she knew why Arabians bombed this city I asked -- why? She said because it is SO beautiful!
That was all of our talks. We slender in Metropolitan museum and natural History and while returning backs to MS were amazed with the different colors the nature proposed here so bright green, so pink blossoming.
OK, enough lyric for today I want to get rid of lyric in general - its like soul disease, we are lucky this happen only in spring. And only when somebody push the right button.
Romeo, my AOL is not too fast now. May be next time you will see my message from yahoo box. Forgot to say: I wish you, dear Romeo, all the love of the World, all the beauty of the Universe, all the kindness of the mankind! Thanks for switching me on. Yours truly, Juliet
P.S. Hope it does not exhaust you personally, I mean my lyrics?"
Friday. The same scenes and decorations. The same heroes.
Rоmео: "...Hi, Juliet! As for roots, I have been to Italy/Rome/Florence/Naples and to the home of my mother's grandparents in Regio Calabria. Thanks for sharing some more about your travels, Bob and your daughter... as for the tips about travel one of the overtures on your web profile where this all began was your interest in a travel companion. What were you thinking? What would you like? And when/where would you like it? Be well Juliet."
Джульетта: "...Romeo! Good evening! How are you doing?
We are o key here, the same boring, nothing happens. Yesterday enjoyed blossoming trees; I made some pictures (to be attached below), although I did not practice picturing before. Women according the psychologist more operate with left hemisphere of brain, dealing with verbal and emotional sphere, men-with right one- with space and the things in space. I read for couple of days the book of Barbara Angelic - you American author but in Russian version. The book explains how different the men and the women are and how they can find the bridges (for some time - smile). I pick my husband in the airport yesterday- I made it (I start to drive only 1 year ago, so for me its always BIG stress to drive in unknown direction. I was lucky- there was a lot of traffic- so I could move slow and read the directions. On the speed 70 miles per hour I could hardly do this. And easy create accident situations on the roads. According to impressions of our buddy China was great, he loves this country with all this heart. He mentioned that there are a lot of beautiful women there too. I am still dreaming about big city, where I can be creative, earn my own money, does not depend on anybodies life style except mine. I wonder how long it will take me to fulfill my dream? All my subtropical love for you on the cold North. Warmest. Yours. Juliet.
Rоmео: "Juliet, it seems hard to let go so soon to the fantasy of you that we share for it is not that easy to feel what I felt for whatever reasons I felt it that enabled me to express myself selflessly to you. Give me please a little time to consider your offer. I am a romantic as you found out but it is not a means to an end but an honest passion triggered by something special in only a few women that I have met in my lifetime. I have few illusions about myself. To love and be loved by a kindred soul is quite an extraordinary miracle. Could it be that you would actually volunteer to be my personal miracle maker? Are there two of you out there?"
Джульетта: " Dear Romeo, I am here, for all your miracles, I was afraid you got tired of them, I would prefer to leave you for me, then to give to any other even great girls. I know that nobody of them will l feel your soul as I do. Although may be a lot of them are nice miracles too. Or nightmares. (joke, silly one).
Romeo, dear, you inspire me to start the screenplay "Romeo and Juliet of the 21 century." I started it today all in Russian, with modern historic preamble, keeping in mind some letter sketches of us both in English which may help me to work out the plot. I never made creative writing before direct in English. I was trying to start in English -YOUR native language but did not take a risk to express myself as easy as in my native. So, I will try to work on it tonight and tomorrow and see what will it look like.
I think Romeo and Juliet lives in every human being from the youth days till the sunsets. The only questions to wake them up, and we are dying as real heroes when we loose our love blossoming. Or just leave for physical life in real bodies, but the SOUL?... Soul drifts in long lethargy.
Here is small sketch you asked about before I made it today specially to reply on your questions: "Where would I like to travel?"
It's very upset to be on this Earth in real physical measurements and not to see all the greatest arts collections in the World. I would like to see if the lifetime will allows the best art museums of Paris, Madrid and London. To enjoy the strange and marvelous creations of human heart and minds - paintings! As the places I would like to see in general it should be the country Brazil in Latin America with the joy and energy of famous carnivals. Walking on the narrow streets of old European cites, to breath the smells of Paris boulevards and perfume brand name shops, the see the architectural London, to be lost in the streets of Medieval Prague and of course to get famous Tai massage in the tub with flowers made with skillful hands of tiny ladies of Thailand. It would be nice to see some real snowy northern places, where there are skies rallies and even to participate in one of them, to feel the hospitality of south European people in small village communities, producing vine. To sit near the oven in the lost in snow Scandinavian house... World is wonderful. But the biggest wonders are inside us! We just only need to be very attentive to them and our imagination, and feelings, and dreams and intuition... P.S. Mexico with alternative medicine and Castaneda mysteries is a plus. Vienna's opera and ballet too.
Romeo: Juliet, have read all of your works in English and am now intimate with your story. I feel closer to you for although your stories are written to the world they speak to the individual reader personally and so I, not really anyone so special to you, feel special to know your story. You express yourself well. If you can repeat your soulful reportage on any subject, which you do demonstrate that you can, you should remain dedicated to your writing. Just keep writing. You have a gift! Juliet, you are the product of your experiences. Strong, articulate, caring, angry, frustrated, misplaced, safe now but bored. I would dare to suggest that you try to look deeper into this place where you are at, this place you see as America. You will find people all around you that can share the same story as yours. If you need to be home then go but I suggest that wherever you are, you are you and what will be will be except for your determination to make it “better!” I would like to believe that you need to be rescued but you don't and I can't. I would like to be the love of your life because I make you happy. I remain dreaming of you... Yours Romeo.