Winged

“I just wanted to fly somewhere under the sky

Two beautiful wings and I don’t need anything else…”

Skryabin, “Ptakhy” [“Birds”]

What would birds talk about if they could? What would those who can explore all spaces and see the world as if in the palm say? Would they praise the beauty of boundless seas or rushing rivers? Would they write about mighty mountains and silken cloths of wheat fields? Would they talk about people scurrying about the world like little insects, building their ideal world? Would it be possible for them to scream about what hurts? About what is not quite perfect, wrong and makes our existence fragile? What would the birds be doing, dancing among the purple clouds?

They say that the human ability to reflect on everything makes us similar to the birds. Our feelings are our wings. What surrounds us is the air, which lifts us up and enables us to rise and fly. Our inspiration is the glue of our wings that keeps us from falling.

If we humans are so similar to the birds, why should we talk and shout when we are in the flight of our lives? When do we dance between words and meanings? Yes, the beauty that illuminates the world is definitely worth our attention. Yes, incredible mountains, seas and the best sunsets need our answer. All the metaphors of the world were worth the fact that this civilization gave life to thousands of writers, artists and musicians. But what to do with something that hurts a lot? I think sometimes it is worth asking those who are our reflection, at least in heaven.

When we talked about politics at our powerful and inspiring event, the first thing I thought was, “Oh my God, is this game of rich and cunning dudes worth writing my heartfelt lyrics about.” And after then I remembered: when birds fly, they do not choose what may be happening below, but they definitely continue to fly further. And we, living in the same reality with different facets, must reflect on each of them. Even if it hurts. Even if it’s politics.

Bio

Ivanitska Tetiana – Іваніцька Тетяна

Tetiana is a psychiatrist, writer, assistant of the department of Psychiatry, narcology and medical psychology of the Ternopil National Medical University.

Her personal literary publications include:

– (2015) a poetry collection “Carpe Diem”. Khmelnytskyi: Liliya;

– (2017) a poetry collection “Paperovi kryla” [Paper wings]. Dnipro: Lira;

– (2017) the book “Mij didus buv polskym pereselentsem” [My grandfather was a Polish immigrant]. Dnipro: Lira.

Tetiana is a graduate of the Winter Literary School I from the Center for Literary Education (Kyiv, 2015). She has been a participant of the “Publishers’ Forum” in Lviv, the Kyiv Book Arsenal, “Urbanfest” in Cherkasy, “An-T-R-Act” in Kherson, “Golsky Fest” in Chortkov, “Street Market” in Ternopil, “Bells of Lemkivshchyna” in Monastrysk, “Night at the Museum” in Berezhany, the “BRIDGE: Literary Cherkasy” project, numerous poetry readings, tandems and slams.

In 2018, Tetiana received a one-year scholarship of the President of Ukraine for young writers.

In 2020, she became the laureate of the literary competition of the Smoloskyp publishing house for the book “Mij didus buv polskym pereselentsem” [My grandfather was a Polish immigrant]