Congratulations, that is GREAT. I am happy that you when you look back at some of the things you wrote, you are happy with them. That is a sign of quality. Your writing has a lot it. Often when one looks back on what one wrote, we are not happy with our prose. And yes, it might not be as powerful as sending a missile. But with time, I have found that one of the few things that lasts over the years is art, when it is of quality. So yes your writing will have an impact.
Your writing is powerful. Your translations are important too. I hope you get permission to share the translations you shared with us in your book. It’s important the world knows what it’s like to live in a war zone, about the lives lost and destruction of property.
Enjoy the time with your family and friends. Rest well and write lots-- a time to consolidate and revitalize. Take care.
It’s sometimes hard to know what to say as commentary to your posts. Platitudes always come to mind-- like “stay safe”. It’s not like staying safe is even in your control. Sure you can bunker down.... but it’s still not something you can control. Only mitigate to a certain extent. Easy for me/ us to say. Not necessarily easy or possible for you to do. You can only do the best you can and hope.
I was thinking of you huddled in your toilet wishing you could sleep there but there wasn’t room for you to lie down. Last Halloween my dog was so scared of the fireworks she went and hid in the bathroom. She NEVER goes in there voluntarily, too afraid she will be given a bath. When I turn my faucet on for a shower she goes as far away as she can-- just to be sure the water isn’t for her. Yet last Halloween when the noise got too loud, into the bathroom she went. I realized it was the only room in the house without a window; the only place she felt grounded in my wooden house. The irony that this was our quietest Halloween ever was lost on her. They now ‘require’ people to buy a licence and fireworks are only supposed to be lit on Halloween itself. Of course they aren’t, but it has made a difference.
I live in a neighbourhood with a large Punjabi population where Diwali is celebrated. When there were open firework sales, people would be setting crackers and fireworks off for a month. The two big days would turn the ‘hood’ into what I imagined might be a war zone- -- smoke hung in the air creating a thick fog. Hard for the fire truck to negotiate when there was an incident up the street. The explosions were endless. Big booms. Lots of smaller bangs and whizzes. I wondered if these were like the doodle bug bombs my mother said scared everyone the most during the Blitz because the sound would stop before the bomb actually dropped. The night a bomb did drop in their garden it left a hole the size of a London bus. They were woken up by an air raid warden who wanted to know if they were all right. They hadn’t realized it had dropped that close to them! My mother said she and her sisters were heroes of the day at school for being able to take in the biggest piece of shrapnel. We heard that story for years. It wasn’t till her grandchildren were born that we learned more about her fear -- about hating the mice that also inhabited the cellar/ bunker ( there’s a specific name for it but I’ve forgotten) that my grandfather constructed for them to sleep in at night.
I always wonder about refugees in our neighbourhood and what they felt/feel like on Halloween. How much trauma does it bring up for them? There are people on my street who’ve escaped/left Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea and now more Ukrainians in the neighbourhood too. Our neighbourhood is the most multicultural in Vancouver.
I used to love fireworks for their light and beauty. But my attitude has changed over the years as I’ve become more sensitive to sudden loud noises, wondering if a bang is a firecracker or a gun and never being quite sure. Yes, even though the neighbourhood is technically quiet- gang warfare takes place regardless of location. Shootings do occur here as this is the historical location of one of Vancouver’s larger gangs. Fortunately (?) shootings are usually targeted but it is us as neighbours who are sometimes left to pick up the pieces afterwards and ask the fire department to hide down the road.
But none of this compares to living in a war zone. That’s why your work is important.
Congratulations, that is GREAT. I am happy that you when you look back at some of the things you wrote, you are happy with them. That is a sign of quality. Your writing has a lot it. Often when one looks back on what one wrote, we are not happy with our prose. And yes, it might not be as powerful as sending a missile. But with time, I have found that one of the few things that lasts over the years is art, when it is of quality. So yes your writing will have an impact.
Thank you, Didier! I too believe in the power of art -- when it's made with the same courage that fighting a war requires!
Your writing is powerful. Your translations are important too. I hope you get permission to share the translations you shared with us in your book. It’s important the world knows what it’s like to live in a war zone, about the lives lost and destruction of property.
Enjoy the time with your family and friends. Rest well and write lots-- a time to consolidate and revitalize. Take care.
Ah, thank you, Louise for all of this!
It’s sometimes hard to know what to say as commentary to your posts. Platitudes always come to mind-- like “stay safe”. It’s not like staying safe is even in your control. Sure you can bunker down.... but it’s still not something you can control. Only mitigate to a certain extent. Easy for me/ us to say. Not necessarily easy or possible for you to do. You can only do the best you can and hope.
I was thinking of you huddled in your toilet wishing you could sleep there but there wasn’t room for you to lie down. Last Halloween my dog was so scared of the fireworks she went and hid in the bathroom. She NEVER goes in there voluntarily, too afraid she will be given a bath. When I turn my faucet on for a shower she goes as far away as she can-- just to be sure the water isn’t for her. Yet last Halloween when the noise got too loud, into the bathroom she went. I realized it was the only room in the house without a window; the only place she felt grounded in my wooden house. The irony that this was our quietest Halloween ever was lost on her. They now ‘require’ people to buy a licence and fireworks are only supposed to be lit on Halloween itself. Of course they aren’t, but it has made a difference.
I live in a neighbourhood with a large Punjabi population where Diwali is celebrated. When there were open firework sales, people would be setting crackers and fireworks off for a month. The two big days would turn the ‘hood’ into what I imagined might be a war zone- -- smoke hung in the air creating a thick fog. Hard for the fire truck to negotiate when there was an incident up the street. The explosions were endless. Big booms. Lots of smaller bangs and whizzes. I wondered if these were like the doodle bug bombs my mother said scared everyone the most during the Blitz because the sound would stop before the bomb actually dropped. The night a bomb did drop in their garden it left a hole the size of a London bus. They were woken up by an air raid warden who wanted to know if they were all right. They hadn’t realized it had dropped that close to them! My mother said she and her sisters were heroes of the day at school for being able to take in the biggest piece of shrapnel. We heard that story for years. It wasn’t till her grandchildren were born that we learned more about her fear -- about hating the mice that also inhabited the cellar/ bunker ( there’s a specific name for it but I’ve forgotten) that my grandfather constructed for them to sleep in at night.
I always wonder about refugees in our neighbourhood and what they felt/feel like on Halloween. How much trauma does it bring up for them? There are people on my street who’ve escaped/left Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea and now more Ukrainians in the neighbourhood too. Our neighbourhood is the most multicultural in Vancouver.
I used to love fireworks for their light and beauty. But my attitude has changed over the years as I’ve become more sensitive to sudden loud noises, wondering if a bang is a firecracker or a gun and never being quite sure. Yes, even though the neighbourhood is technically quiet- gang warfare takes place regardless of location. Shootings do occur here as this is the historical location of one of Vancouver’s larger gangs. Fortunately (?) shootings are usually targeted but it is us as neighbours who are sometimes left to pick up the pieces afterwards and ask the fire department to hide down the road.
But none of this compares to living in a war zone. That’s why your work is important.