A friend of mine is about to have a book published on his time in Ukraine. He gave me permission to post an excerpt here, that he has just shared on his Facebook page. I have not included everything, because it was pretty long. But it shows what it can be like...
In this swirl
of pain and movement and tears
a woman gently repositions me
to face her
Uneven ground
mixed with horror
keep her off balance
Grey hair
coat buttoned tightly
gloveless red hands scream cold
Hands exposed for too long
because she came fast, rushing here
She wants to speak
but the silent exhale of cold breath
is all that escapes
She looks at me
at the building
as Alex joins
curious and ready to help
as words will surely arrive
With eyes full of tears yet to fall
she finally speaks
I heard the explosion
I live close by, and I was worried
my best friend lives
in this building
She is older than me
she can’t get out of bed anymore
I spend my days with her
feeding her, laughing, reading, remembering
because she is my best friend
The explosion shook me awake
and I worried
was it in her neighborhood?
maybe her apartment?
I could not be sure
So I texted her
I waited for a response
but I am … so tired
I fell back asleep
I fell …
back asleep
When I woke up
there was no response to my text
I came here, anxious
because I fell asleep
after I sent the text
I immediately knew
she was gone
her apartment was there
...
She loses her way
and falls unsteadily into my arms
head colliding, resting on shoulder
Tears finally release
spilling pain, sorrow, moisture
freely onto my jacket
...
Trees surrounding wreckage
come into focus over her wet shoulder
Trees …
full of clothing
Clothing that leapt out, escaping
as the violent blast thrust people
and their belongings
downward
Shirts, coats, pants
a red sweater
Seen clearly now
through falling tears
engulfed in sobs
echoing through a Heaven
in mourning
Clothes watch as stretcher emerges
from the rubble
Slow-moving stretcher
met by a holy mournful breeze
Spirit fills arms of red sweater
extending, reaching for the stretcher
Arms extend in sorrow
in pain
in … gratitude
Sweater waves for a loved one
on a slow-walking stretcher
Bathed in tears
from above, from below
as woman whose tears seek solace in my embrace
gently pulls back
Tears lovingly cradle her face
bless my shoulder
as sweater arms wave
and a new voice
of profound truth
arises
You must tell them …
I am Russian
I have lived here
my whole life
I am Russian
and this is too much
They have stolen my best friend
For what?
For what!
No more
No more!
You tell them, tell them
this is too much
...
I think that even if someone does not understand, there will always be someone who will explain.
secure.wfpusa.org
www.enginprogram.org
We also watched a short cartoon about a mouse who is a princess and then she summarized it for me and asked me a couple of questions. She is very motivated and eager to learn, which is nice.
whitestork.us
