Ukraine – Page 41 – Natalia A.

On believing

No American, or, for that matter, Ukrainian (Russian, ex-Soviet, whatever) person I know has brushed me off when I talked about that one New Year’s Eve. The Special New Year’s Eve. Special for many reasons, but here is the obvious one – the one that involved me getting surrounded by friends of friends on aContinue reading “On believing”

Smell sweet, and carry a big stick

Off her feet with the crumbs she throws you. – Kim Carnes. My grandmother was never what you would call a stereotypically attractive woman. She had no shortage of “gentlemen suitors,” but she was no beauty. She was just endearingly herself. She was loud, direct, well-organized, good-humoured, and confident. Instead of being shy on accountContinue reading “Smell sweet, and carry a big stick”

My Special Evening

A few months ago, I had, as the title of this little essay implies, a very Special Evening. I sat next to a young, seemingly sane, New York intellectual at a dinner table. For about an hour and a half, I listened to him as he talked about the fact that “‘Ukrainian women are basicallyContinue reading “My Special Evening”

Home again

I haven’t seen a Ukrainian autumn in twelve years. The babushkas are selling yellow flowers and my bedroom smells like woodsmoke at night. And I’ve got a cold. 20 degree-air after 40-degree air will probably do that.

We walked home under the pear-trees

Listening to “Let It Be” on the mobile’s built-in MP3 player and singing along, off-key, as always. I lit candles for all the men in my life tonight, and those candles stood in front of my eyes, thin, organic, skeletal. The candles are like fingers – like Earth grasping Heaven. And under my window, boys areContinue reading “We walked home under the pear-trees”