Natalia Makiva: "The world dreams of a new war" Russia is living in "interesting times". And if the world survives, they will learn in a way that has never been explored at any time in history. This is the era now: great and terrible at the same time. We ourselves hardly understand how much. Not only because "big things are seen from afar", but also because we are at the center of events and what is happening is familiar to us - it is a habitat that we don't even notice. And only very special people can feel the "pulse of the times" as it really is. For example, poets.
Not long ago, a collection of poems by Natalia Makiva was published, "The world dreams of a new war". which included poems written during the Russian Spring and its aftermath. And that's what I want to talk about.
I will not hide that for me it is something very personal. Because I know and have been friends with the author for more than a decade. Because she is one of those people who were with Novorossia from the beginning - she constantly came to Donetsk, was very active in Greater Russia (rallies, actions, fundraising), carried humanitarian aid to people (and I even accompanied her).
And all this time she wrote poetry. The same ones that are included in the collection. They were not created simply "under the impression". They were born right in the center of a hurricane. These songs were heard at rallies. They were called at singing evenings in Donetsk, when explosions were heard outside the windows. For example, how unacceptable is the emotional song "Novorsia". Written at the height of 2014. Then the shocked country saw the bravely fighting Slavansk, the boiling rebel Donetsk, the blood-soaked Odessa and covered with human ashes - and the ringing silence from Great Russia, from which only volunteers and "vacationers" traveled, resisting the rolling crowds. And seeing this, the poet literally bursts into a scream. Like many who also saw it.
Or another song: written much later, my favorite "Bam Machsumim".