Iryna liked the roses of her Brovary Backyard, a metropolis close to Kyiv. He additionally liked the jewels that he made together with his personal fingers with dried flowers and epoxy resin. He all the time seemed for one of the best ways to maintain the colour of the petals, to emphasise the fragility of the flower and to share their magnificence with the individuals round them. He liked taking images Due to this fact, when he was the primary time in 2015 as a paramedic of the safely battalion, they gave him the nickname “Linza”, which implies “lens”.
His actual title was INNA TSVILA and was the veteran of the primary section of the Russian struggle towards Ukraine, who fought towards Sloviansk and Pisky within the Donetsk area. On February 24, 2022, INYNA voluntarily took her arms and went to defend Kyiv. The subsequent day he died on February 25th within the metropolis of Dymer close to Kyiv, the place violent fights with the Russians have been run, the tried to achieve the capital. Later we knew that the occupants had began explosives towards their automotive. Her husband, Dmytro died along with her.
His demise was the primary in our circle of mates. When Kyiv was launched, it was painful to acknowledge Iryna would by no means know something about this primary Ukrainian victory. That the roses of his backyard have been orphaned identical to his grownup daughter. A Bovary Avenue has its title: it goes by the “Prometheus” cultural middle, during which kids’s concert events nonetheless happen in the course of the struggle and the laughter of kids will be heard. This place is a focus of affection for all times. Solely Irina is not right here.
He liked life, his flowers, his individuals. Lately he has had again ache and was in rehabilitation. And once we keep in mind her, her rose backyard in Brovary, her painful again, we understand that the struggle will not be pushed by hatred. If it’s a defensive struggle when the struggle for the fitting to life is a pleasant struggle, it’s pushed by love.
There may be a variety of hatred and anger within the struggle, however regardless of every part we do not defend ourselves from the enemy’s hate. Hass results in aggression, anger drives motion, however it is just doable to defend your self with love. We defend ourselves for ours. To our rose backyard.
A view exhibits the place of the Russian rocket assault in the course of the Russian assault towards Ukraine in Sumi, Ukraine. Photograph ReutersTo our poorly paved terrace and the partitions of our portal, which will need to have been painted for a very long time. To those that are overseas in rear cities, in strangers and even overseas. For many who are caught within the crew, some for a decade. For these whose shadows depart a resonant vacuum on the widespread desk.
Nothing motivates individuals greater than the need to return at a time when everybody was alive and everybody was collectively. Easy than everybody was quiet.
When overseas observers have a look at Ukraine within the struggle, they see horrible ruins, apocalyptic battlefields, a traumatized and drained firm. When the Ukrainians have a look at their nation, they see, amongst different issues, what these ruins have been as soon as.
In the event you return to the world of your childhood after years of absence, you don’t see the damaged asphalt of the terrace of your home, however of a spot the place your toes keep in mind each stone. You do not see soiled tables and oxidized metallic, however the swing of your childhood, the place you flew to heaven. They see no previous partitions, however a spot the place they’ve discovered to dream, to search out mates, to beat worry and fall in love. Initially, they return at a time when every part was nonetheless in entrance of them.
The Ukrainians see their nation destroyed as a home after years of separation. Though the bushes have grown so strongly that it doesn’t acknowledge the nation and its metropolis has disappeared, this piece of deserted nation was as soon as her complete world. These are the roots from which they grew up. And it’s your love for this place that makes you proceed.
As a result of this love is the one one we actually have. No person will love the terrace of their childhood as a lot as they’re as a result of it’s their childhood. No person will struggle for the roses of their backyard as a result of they’re their flowers. No person will love your nation as a lot as she is as a result of it’s her nation.
Love and poetry
The Ukrainians quickly acknowledged how devastating hate is. You possibly can’t hate your enemy perpetually. It’s doable to change into too full from hate, however it’s inconceivable to cease loving.
After a tough struggle, vomit so much in positions.
Love closes your mates’ eyes.
And wraps them into sleeping baggage
Love by no means stops!
Though there are prophecies, you’ll cease
Though there are languages, they are going to silence
Though there’s information, it would fade.
As a result of typically the bombing stops,
And love closes his eyes
And his mates wrap him in sleeping baggage,
Artur Dron writes, a younger Ukrainian poet who defends his nation in 2022. He was fourteen when the struggle broke out in 2014. He wrote these verses with twenty, in a ditch, within the infantry.
Folks normally transfer into the struggle for anger and hate the enemy. However they die for love in struggle. The love for the sunny veranda of his childhood, for the poplar of the courtyard of his faculty, by cities that not exist, for individuals who are in graves underneath blue and yellow flags for his or her kids.
The violent anger will not be sufficient to destroy the enemy. However love can defend itself till the tip.
*Tetiana Ogarkova is literary criticism and professor on the Nationwide College “Academy of Kyiv-Mohyla”. “Ukraine Letters” is a challenge by the Latin American solidarity marketing campaign, length! Along with Pen -Ukraine, Ukraineworld and the Ukrainian Institute.