***

Three years now we’ve been talking about the war.
We’ve learned how to talk about our own past in terms of the war.
We’ve learned to make our plans taking the war into account.

We have the words to express our anger.
We have the words to express our grief.
We have the words to express our contempt.
We have curse words, words for prayer,
we have all the necessary words
to talk about ourselves during the war.

It’s very important for us to talk about ourselves during the war.
We cannot stop talking about ourselves during the war.
It’s impossible to be quiet about ourselves.

Every morning we talk about the war.
We stand in front of the mirror, talk about the war.
We talk to the person we see.
Wise words.
Wise, convincing words.
Wise questions.
Wise answers.

Every morning we remind everyone about the number killed.
After lunch we savor flashes of sun light,
the living grass pushing through dead rock.
And in the evening we again remind everyone
about the number killed.

It is very important for us to remind everyone about the number killed.
It is very important that we remind everyone about the number killed.
It is very important that everyone hear about the number killed.

We don’t give anyone else the chance.
We cut reality with garden shears,
evaluate it,
pronounce the diagnosis unfavorable.

For three years we’ve been evaluating.
For three years we’ve been talking to the mirror.
Where there’s no chance of getting a difficult question,
there's no chance of getting an awkward reply

The more confident
talk about this out loud.
The less confident — quietly.

Either way, it doesn’t influence
the number killed.
===================================================
text: Serhiy Zhadan
translated from Ukrainian: Virlana Tkacz and Bob Holman
performed: Alex Borovenskiy
video: Daniil Prymachov
editing Oleksii Afanasiev

DSP Theatre
театральна спільнота DSP

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