When I was a little kid,

I used to drive my cars a bit.

Chevrolets Pontiacs

And very little tiny trucks.

Now I’m attending school

And my car is always cool –

Either Civic or Accord.

Or just very fancy Ford.

Soon I’ll get a better job

As a lawyer or a cop.

With all pride and full rejoice

I will purchase new Rolls-Royce.

Vadim Garbuzov, 1996

Happy birthday, dad!

You never have a bed.

There was a time when you and mama were lawfully wed.

When I go to Ukraine,

I’m gonna experience pain.

I feel that your spirit is never gonna die.

Besides I’ve only once seen you cry.

You are going bold

And you have been told:

– Hey, at least you won’t grow mold

Bye-bye!

And please don’t cry.

Vadim Garbuzov, 9th of August, 1999

Колись ми, тату, ходили в Riley Park.

Спочатку Canada була a little dark.

Ми стрибали, плавали і мали собі fun.

And now I guess the fun is already done.

I rode my bike to school and then to other places.

We went there not to sit at home.

Пердіти is a good word I used to hear a lot,

It’s just like many people like doing lots of pot.

When Vadik sold a car, he usually made some money.

And now he probably thinks that stuff is just funny.

You usually did not have luck in buying or selling a car.

You get more money than selling car by far.

Another poem I will give you in time I think,

But now I’m gonna go and get myself a drink.

Vadim Garbuzov, 9th of August, 2000

Merry Christmas to you, my humble family!

I don’t think this is how Christmas has to be.

We should all gather around

And announce what we have found.

We should talk about the sky.

And the wisdom filled ground.

– In the church we must rejoice, –

Always tells us Sister Ruth.

In the church we have no choice,

But to witness the holy truth,

In Canada we eat turkey,

In Ukraine we drink Champaign.

In America beef jerky,

In Africa food from the drain.

I hope you get what I’m trying to say,

But if you still, don’t you will some other day.

I will finish this tomorrow, for sure not today.

And when I do, you’ll be amazed what I say.

Vadim Garbuzov, 24th of December, 2000

Found a job I see,

We congratulate you with our big family.

I know you feel much better and stable,

Because now you’ll afford to buy yourself cable!

Now it’s the time to learn some more,

And in a break between that visit a corner store.

You will stay in Vancouver,

Or go to New York

And maybe Hong Kong to eat some Chinese pork.

Vancouver is perfect,

You can work and relax,

It’s kind of villagelike but,

It’s not like you have to work with an axe.

37 years old –

It’s not an old age.

When you turn 40,

In the book of your life

It will be the next page.

I will try dancing,

It might work out.

But the main thing is not to do anything you doubt.

Who knows what might happen?

Iet’s not fortune tell.

Let’s live our life and say what the Hell!

Vadim Garbuzov, August, 2001, 2009–2010

When in life the bad situation comes,

It’s payment for the good times before.

There comes the time when we realize

That good and bad even out their score.

All ups and downs in life

Make a path to our goal.

It’s up to us to decide,

Which way we must fall.

My dance teacher says,

– It’s everything in our hands.

We have to drop all the foolishness

Or we can wait until it just ends.

I’m already old enough,

To understand all those things,

But this is just a small fraction

Of all that life to us brings.

Vadim Garbuzov, August, 2002

With all the schemes around us

We mustn’t fall apart.

There’s lots of things that may be

Going on inside our heart.

It’s all the opposition.

We face to reach our goal.

Oh, yes! They want to get us.

They want to tear our soul.

It’s nature of mankind –

To think of him, himself.

We travel through the skies

Of life in our Stealth.

When we see a target,

That’s blocking our way.

Sometimes we turn invisible

And by bit fire away.

The smoke from it increases,

The life around gets weak,

And some of the beloved ones

Start choking cheek to cheek.

Vadim Garbuzov, September, 2003

Вот какая жизнь, сюрпризы за сюрпризом.

То котик убежал, то не открыли визу.

То этот поленился, то эта вновь с капризом.

То скайтрейн рядом строят, соседи злятся снизу.

Но если так подумать, куда же нам деваться?

На все закрыть глаза и по-канадски улыбаться?

Мы можем принимать всерьёз и сильно угнетаться,

А можем стоять за себя и защищаясь драться.

О, мама, ты же сильная, ты – сильное звено.

Так мама, будь счастливая, знай, мне не все равно.

Будь смелою с проблемами, встречай их лоб-на-лоб.

Тогда придёт и радость как праздничный пирог.

Проблемы – это тест, контрольная от бога.

Не угнетайся, мама, их в жизни будет много.

Вадим c любовью маме в День Рождения, 11 июля 2004

Став слухати я рок.

Щоб стати сатаністом – перший крок.

О, який для всіх це був би шок!

Впливає на мене це оточення.

Можливо, це емоційне відродження.

Бажаю волі я до знеможення.

Хочу я волі в своїх почуттях,

Звільнюю думки я у віршах,

Бо виділяюсь я в сірих рядах.

Виріс не так я, як більшість дітей:

Багато сварок, гроші, Андрей…

Скільки було в нас поганих ідей…

Змінююсь я, дорослим стаю,

Іншу музику вже я люблю.

Гадаю, за це не накажуть в раю.

Вмикаю я плеєр, коли вже час спати,

Набридло мені цю книжку читати.

I десь дві години рок буде грати.

Гітара гучна,

Співачка це зна,

Несе мене в сон солодкий вона.

Вадим Гарбузов, 22 серпня 2004

Dancing is a way of life,

Dancing is contagious.

Dancing is oh such a hype,

Some would say outrageous.

Dancing is meeting a friend,

Sometimes with you forever.

Dancing is a cool new trend,