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Dean M's avatar

wow that is some brutally honest, sad, straight, raw writing. and exactly therefore, so lovable.

are you yourself from kодима, i don't know, but the old photos are just great and bring a lot of memories to me too (as a young engineer from the "west" I spent several years working in old ussr... so...)

+++ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ son's avatar

thank you so much for your time, this means a lot to me, especially that it made you remember and that you could connect with parts of the story. this is exactly why i love to write, and i’m very glad it found you

parts of my family are from kodyma. i try to keep it all a bit vague because i want to be honest in my writing without making it very clear who exactly it was about

but i was born in kiev, and from the age of two i’ve lived mostly in switzerland

Dean M's avatar

thank you for your reply. very interesting. yes i do have a long and winding life story behind, involving many places and many languages.

so you being in suisse means you are fluent in more than english = you can also enjoy my french poems n essays too … that’s good 🫶🏼

+++ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ son's avatar

i’ll write a bit more about the feelings of the people close to me about the ussr, and more photos will definitely come in the next parts :)

very interested in your story, i’ll definitely read your work! (and yes, i speak ukrainian, russian, german, and english, and not so well french)

Dean M's avatar

thank you for your kind messages. i do not speak ukrainian, but fluent russian (including reading), french, german, italian, and some more of course …

i did not write a full life story, but bits n pieces you will find in my about me and in my interview with myself: i will continue with stories containing bits n pieces, and my poems speak about my recent emotional shakes …

lovely to have you here <3

Gina's avatar

your style is so recognizable. wow

Marie-Monique♡'s avatar

the vignettes of your memories felt so distinct and raw. i loved how much warmth you brought to memories that were so painful

+++ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ son's avatar

thank you so much for taking the time to read it, and that is such a unique compliment thank you so so much it really means a lot! <3<3<3

Wyatt's avatar

where do you get the pics

+++ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ son's avatar

some of them are mine, and i search up the places from the story on google maps, or just places i’ve been to in general, and find reviews, websites or whatever with photos

M...'s avatar

giggled a lil.

Consciousism's avatar

I love how it makes me feel emotions that I can't name. Thank you for taking the time to write this and share it with me.💜🦄 And... I finally read it.😋🦖

cattywampus's avatar

i truly forgot to breathe, your writing style inspires me. thank you for this

T.R.'s avatar

A powerful piece that too many people can relate to. I felt these words... different circumstances but the same feelings and emotions seem to spring from many stories similar to this. Well written and a great read. Thank you for sharing.

+++ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ son's avatar

thank you it means a lot to me that it could convey a feeling and that you could see yourself in parts of those feelings🩶🤍🩶🤍

lex!'s avatar

Oh my gosh I fckn loved this!!! Felt every word deeply

Emmett Tatter's avatar

Whhhew … that is heat. Thats something real I needed this morning. Been through storms and sometimes it’s a relief when lightening flashes all around and you see someone else amongst the downpour. Proud to read these written words. I do know we are enough. This writing hit hard and I felt it. I hope you see the value in your words. Writing helped me a bunch and still does. Who knows what life has in store, but with writing like this anything is possible and that’s what I do now, make the most of life’s possibilities, and try, try, try. No one ever tells you it’s okay to fail. Just yesterday two articles got rejected, but another two got accepted for publishing. And that’s the thing about it all. We don’t pick where we came from or who we love but that doesn’t make it any less real. Thank you for sharing this. It’s important. If anything it was for you, and that’s beautiful. Keep going and again, thank you. Respect 🫡🥹✨

+++ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ son's avatar

thank you for taking the time to leave such a heartfelt comment, it means so, so much that you liked it. thank you!!🤍

Nick Viau's avatar

Unbelievably powerful. This is incredible.

⋆ ⟢'s avatar

compelling narrative drive & engrossing momentum. long live son.

+++ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ son's avatar

thank you thats so kind, thank you so so much! 🩶🩶

Giles's avatar

😢 & 🫂

It's both beautiful and painful. Above all, so genuine.

+++ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ son's avatar

thank you so much giles again and again!! 🤍🤍

raya zād's avatar

This was fantastic

Mary McVodka's avatar

THE GREATEST POET ON SUBSTACK

𝚋𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕's avatar

stings. brilliant writing.