Natasha Estemirova remembered in Israel

Natasha Estemirova remembered in Israel

mirror_wolfe

December 28th, 14:52

Recently received a letter. Israeli journalist Jared Feldshreyber. Origin - USA. He now lives in Tel Aviv. At university.

We corresponded for about freedom of speech and journalists' rights, when Jared had sent his dedication Natalia Estemirova.

I asked him why he started writing poems about a woman who has never seen. Jared: "My poem merely is one voice seeking to raise awareness of brave truth-tellers unfairly gunned down for speaking out". "If poetry needs to be political, then so be it". ("My poem - it's just a lone voice who tries to tell about brave, not afraid to tell the truth, the price for what is a bullet. If poetry must be political, so it has to be.")

For Natalya

For I didn't know you
Until you died a callous murder;
Though your integrity lay intact.
For the bravery you humbly hid
Beneath the countless souls you helped to protect
Somewhere near the perilous Caucasus Mountains

Natalya:

I marvel at your courage
And I've never met you
Though I would have wanted.
You met the tragic irony of your own courage:
You met the same fate of others you sought to protect.

Natalya:
For we remember you by your first name alone;
You were murdered for your cause
And your cause had you murdered.

Natalya:
You were in a line of other needless deaths
Like Anna, Stanislav, Umar, Sulim, Ruslan: bludgeoned in cold blood.
The convoluted Russian spy games reduced to sheer chicanery
Masking the simplicity of shrouding the truth.

Natalya:
You did not die in vain;
Your enemies thought you were a robber of truth
And they will be punished.
You are somewhere amongst us
Beyond the withering trees.