contents - Gallatin School of Individualized Study - New York ...

VASYL BARABASH Passing Down50of his beautiful wife. I felt the warm energy of my father. “My loves, do not cry.I’m not guilty. I will return.”“No!” shouted the soldier. “You will be sent to Siberia, where you mightbe killed. You are an enemy of the Soviet people. You will go to Siberia. Out!”Kyrylo was sentenced as an “antisocial agitator” to 10 years imprisonment at ahard labor camp.On September 7, 1937 my father, Kyrylo Barabash, was arrested bythe NKVD. On February 2, 1938 he was executed in the Lokshim Camp Gulag(Komi, ASSR, and Russia SSR). On March 8, 1938 I was born. In the autumn of1941 my mother, Tetiana Barabash, died.Tetiana did not want to die. She was only 38. The evil occupiers hadforced my delicate mother to wash linen in the cold, autumn waters of the river.After several days she caught a deadly cold. She lay on her bed. She was as slimas a girl and as beautiful as an angel. We listened to her intermittent speech:“My beloved children, stay together. Our family dream was to live happily, butthe regime of Stalin has destroyed our Ukraine. My beloved daughter, farewell.My beloved son, farewell.” Her energy petered out. We were sobbing. Suddenlyshe sat up and smiled. “My beloved husband, I will soon be with you.”Born in Ukraine, Vasyl Barabash studies at the New York Public Library’sSeward Park Center for Reading and Writing. Terry Sheehan is the site advisor,and Hilary Schenker is the literacy assistant. He gives special thanks to RuthMeehan, his tutor. He writes, “My art can be found in collections in Ukraine,Finland, Poland, Mexico and the United States. I enjoy writing about mypaintings, about the history of Ukraine, and about my 15 years in the UnitedStates, this beautiful country.”