Ilya Kaminsky We Lived Happily during the War
b'The opening poem to Ilya Kaminsky\\u2019s masterpiece, \\u201cDeaf Republic,\\u201d is written in the voice of someone who is confessing their complacency during a time of trial. There\\u2019s a war going on, but it doesn\\u2019t affect the person speaking, so they don\\u2019t get involved. Instead they stayed outside and caught the sun. They lived happily during the war, and are now saying (forgive us). This poem leaves us wondering what it would mean to make such a confession, to ask for forgiveness, and whether it\\u2019d do any good.'