This one is for Latoya, who reminded me of my love for beautiful TLC and Mary J. Blige. My mother has always insisted to me that I am pretty. This went beyond the regular “my child is simply darling” outlook that most parents have to some extent. No, my mother insisted she saw something inContinue reading “A Pretty Cover For The Bones”
Category Archives: Personal Essays
One In One Thousand
“My love involves the love before; My love is vaster passion now; Though mixed with God and Nature thou, I seem to love thee more and more.” – Alfred, Lord Tennyson There are one thousand boys and men whose bodies are mashed in together at Starii Oskol, close to today’s border between Russia and Ukraine.Continue reading “One In One Thousand”
…Into Shadow
“This is war, Peacock.” – Clue. You know those old westerns, or those new space westerns, wherein the intrepid hero walks into a saloon or bar and all eyes turn to him? When everyone is waiting for the hero to do something stupid – such as order a glass of milk or fail to kissContinue reading “…Into Shadow”
Blatta orientalis: There will be blood
… So go to sleep bitch, die motherf*cker, die. Time’s up, bitch, close your eyes. – Eminem An old X-Files episode, “War of the Coprophages,” centers on a town brought down to its collective knees by an infestation of cockroaches. I am somewhat depressed to find my present living quarters to be a version ofContinue reading “Blatta orientalis: There will be blood”
Pride, Prejudice and Ukraine, the Beloved Country
I get accused of hating my roots nearly as much as I get accused of being a nationalistic Ukrainian. It’s like walking a tight-rope while balancing a stack of Wedgwood plates on my head. Consider, for example, the extent of anti-Jewish sentiment in Ukraine. There are members of my extended family who are Jewish, andContinue reading “Pride, Prejudice and Ukraine, the Beloved Country”
Natalia A. 