pysanky
ovenbird
The
Ukrainian
art
of
decorating
easter
eggs (pysanky)
with
wax
and
dye
has
been
passed
down
for
countless
generations
.
I
learned
from
old
women
in
the
basement
of
a
Ukrainian Catholic
Church
when
I
was
eight
years
old
.
In
the
spring
I
feel
called
to
pull
out
all
my
supplies
and
whisper
the
very
few
ukrainian
words
I
know
.
The
word
pysanky
comes
from
"pysaty,"
which
means "
to
write
."
The
kistka
is
a
stylus
with
a
small
metal
funnel
on
the
end
.
You
melt
wax
in
the
funnel
with
a
candle
and
then
write
on
the
surface
of
the
egg
with
the
wax.
Dye
the
egg
,
write
again
to
preserve
the
current
colour
,
then
dye
again
.
At
the
end
you
remove
the
wax
to
reveal
the
final
design.
Today
I
wrote
Pysanky
with
my
mother
and
my
daughter
--three
generations
of
us
sitting
together
at
my
dining
room
table
making
art
that
is
also
a
prayer
.
The
story
is
that
the
act
of
writing
pysanky
is
an
ancient
magic
that
keeps
evil
chained.
I
guess
we
need
a
lot
more
people
to
write
a
lot
more
pysanky,
but
it
is
soothing
nonetheless.
It
is
a
slow
process
of
flame
and
colour
and
transformation
.
Writing
pysanky connects
me
to
ancestors
in
lands
that
I
have
never
visited.
It
allows
me
to
carry
forward
a
piece
of
heritage
and
history
.
The
smell
of
beeswax
lingers
for
hours
.
250325
...
raze
(
i
love
this
.
it's
a
beautiful
illustration
of
the
way
love
lives
inside
the
smallest gestures,
which
are
really
the
biggest
things
of
all
.)
250325
what's it to you?
who
go
blather
from
