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March 25, 2024

Pripyat

By Kevin Hibshman

Pripyat



Pripyat was the town that had to be abandoned when the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded in the northern Ukraine SSR on April 26, 1986.

Why is the macabre so fascinating?
I find myself drawn unexpectedly to accounts and footage of decimated areas.
I am interested in only the man-made wastelands that seem only to be increasing in number.

There is the human sense of wonder.
There is often tragedy when we rush to uncover and foolishly attempt to harness nature's unbridled energy.
She is the breath of life that can easily be stifled if we are not wise and as children, attempt to defy her.

The wish for the destruction of life, She must view as unnatural.
What mother births offspring only to see them sacrificed in the name of power and greed?
These are intrinsically human constructions.

Pripyat, the abandoned scar that you are and forever must be,
I am overcome with tears when I contemplate your horrible, irreversible destiny.
You are a fable for the ages, a monolithic testament to man's unguarded folly.






Article © Kevin Hibshman. All rights reserved.
Published on 2020-11-23
Image(s) are public domain.
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