The Bud
A human being creates themselves starting from three petals that gradually roll
into three tubes. One of them becomes the spinal cord, complete with the brain as
its superstructure and the branches of the nervous system. The second tube
develops into the circulatory system with its main organ, the heart. The third
tube builds the digestive system, including its extensions like the respiratory
and urogenital organs. Since the urogenital system is related to digestion, love
at its very origin is nothing other than the desire of one individual to eat
another—sometimes someone completely unrelated. But under a lucky alignment of
stars, the object of desire reciprocates, and then they strive to consume each
other. Technologically speaking, one subject simply catches another using
themselves as a lure, while the other might be doing the exact same thing. Whole
libraries of literature are filled with descriptions of what happens as a result
of such successful or unsuccessful fishing trips. Yet among human stereotypes,
there is the image of the skinny, unmarried spinster. Could it be that she is
lonely simply because she has no appetite? Of course, rational, sensible people
will not eat each other all at once. They will try to stretch the pleasure over
long years and will even feed their chosen one. After all, isn't it said for a
reason that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach? Paraphrasing a well-
known expression, all happy couples are well-fed in the same way, while every
unhappy couple is gaunt in its own way. This unspoken treatise arises as a memory
of the unpredictable nature of attraction, where efforts to gain notice can often
lead to unintended attention from others to whom one is completely indifferent.
Adult couples whose relationships mature often go through traditional stages of
courtship. One could even say that a relationship begins with subtle signs that
foreshadow deeper connection. But the bud must open, though it also happens that
all the flowers have long since bloomed and withered, yet a person continues to
live and hope for something. To be in the right place at the right time, and at
the right stage of life too, is a great stroke of luck. It is simply happiness!
Original text in Russian:
http://proza.ru/2016/04/06/2193
German translation:
http://proza.ru/2026/10/27/1222
Original text: proza.ru/avtor/alexanderan
© Copyright: Alexandr Piatkov, 2016
Publication Certificate No. 216040602193
Translated by Creative Prose Model