
Confession of a poet after a year of war
If you think of yourself as a poet or a poetess and you are considering taking this path seriously, most likely sooner or later you will ask yourself this question: what can I do for poetry?
After the Victory, someone will have to talk. It won’t be me. I don’t want to talk after the Victory, and I won’t be able to. I want it to be quiet so I could hear the wind, the grass, the tip-tap of cat’s predatory steps in the yard. No voice of mine, No voice of yours, no voice of anyone else. Quiet… No words or sounds shall drown out “that which does not die.”
But someone will have to talk. It will be a sacred duty, just like fighting on the frontlines, volunteering, or treating the wounded in hospitals. With their speeches, interviews, and reports, those able to talk will give others a chance to catch the whisper of those who are gone.
Catch their whisper, their smell, their taste, the cold or the warmth of their hands. Somewhere here. It all will exist somewhere, mixed with air, leaves, water, perfumes, petrol, coffee, and Easter bread. Somewhere here, next to my hand and my ear that won’t hear anything but them.
It will not be in the dreams, or rather, not only in them. I want it to be a miracle come true. I want it to be everywhere at the same time, so everyone could recognize it. A miracle with a rolling ‘r,’ a stutter, or operatic voice — tenor, soprano, or bass.
We will recognize their voices amid our silence, and our clenched jaws will then relax and perhaps let a few words out. Or maybe not. I don’t want to talk, and I won’t. I will keep searching, waiting, and listening. And I won’t talk until I find them.
Author — Olena Stiazhkina, historian, writer
Translator — Hanna Leliv
Illustrator — Victoria Boyko
Editor — Maryna Korchaka
Programme Directors — Julia Ovcharenko, Demyan Om
If you think of yourself as a poet or a poetess and you are considering taking this path seriously, most likely sooner or later you will ask yourself this question: what can I do for poetry?
Few weeks ago (mid January it was)* I took part in a writer’s conference with other international writers in Kolkata, India. It was a panel discussion addressing the topic of “Writing for the post-pandemic world”.
The morning begins with a final farewell to a soldier in our yard. He died in the war. A message about this appeared in the neighbor chat yesterday, indicating the building number and the entrance. High-rise buildings, just like low-rise ones, can’t avoid loss in wartime. There are more than 800 apartments in our building. Is there at least one unaffected by the war?
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Програми Культурного Хабу реалізуються завдяки потужності та обороноздатності Збройних Сил України, через волю, професійну і фінансову участь наших мемберів та інституційних партнерів з 2022 року: European Cultural Foundation, MitOst e.V., BBK Landesverband Bayern e.V., Київської Бієнале.
Ми також глибоко вдячні всім тим колегам — культурним дипломатам — із ким ще не знайомі особисто, але відчуваємо та цінуємо вплив вашої праці.
The programmes of the Cultural Hub are being implemented thanks to the power and defense capacity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, through the will, professional and financial participation of our members, as well as institutional partners since 2022: European Cultural Foundation, MitOst e.V., BBK Landesverband Bayern e.V., and Kyiv Biennial.
We’re also deeply grateful to all those colleagues — cultural diplomats — who we don’t know personally so far, but we feel and appreciate the impact of your work.
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