Europe slides into an anxious autumn
As a European, I’ll be sledding alongside its worry
A bunch of pigeons are searching a grass field for something to eat. I remember pigeons in London — they looked weak and stricken with illnesses that showed up in their feathers, eyes and beaks. I remember pigeons in my boyfriend’s hometown in the East of Ukraine — they looked magnificent, potent and more akin to birds than chickens. Chickens are, of course, birds, yet their inability to fly suggests certain captivity and restraint put on them. I can see a similar captivity in these pigeons, but they are freer than domesticated chickens. The whole city of Kyiv is their farm. These city pigeons are fatter. They still look strong and lively in comparison to those in London.
Is that why I moved from London to Kyiv?
Despite my young age, I felt my health declining rapidly there. I didn’t look like London pigeons. I was afraid I could start looking like them faster than I expected.
Something invisible to my eye happens and the pigeons fly away. I’m always surprised by their unanimity. What a bunch of like-minded birds. Well. When humans gather in groups of 20 or more, it usually suggests a certain unanimity too. They would fly away or stay together according to a mutual sentiment governing them. Have I ever been a part of…
