Night in Chernivtsi
Poem from the War in Ukraine
Street lights no longer shine on the backstreets of Chernivtsi
Stars twinkle in and out above the low ridge of a distant mountain
Random apartments give the blue light glow of TV from their windows
One dog barks, another one starts and soon after a cacophony of howls
Silver moonlight, shines off the shiny new rooftop across the street
The smoke of the cigar rises and fades lingering for only moments
Ukrainian cognac coats the lips, mingles with the cigar taste
Then mixes with it and brings out one of life’s simple treasures
And they are dancing in the streets now in liberated Kherson
Peace for now but all here know that it will not yet be a lasting one
We celebrate anyway, we go on, we fight, we write, we do what we have to
Defeat does not exist in our reality and neither does the offer of surrender
Who is foolish enough to negotiate with the devil?
Or even to speak with him as if he is a civilized being?
No, the troops of ours will roll on until he leaves this bountiful land
We will roll on doing the work it takes to win this awful, unfair war
Shevchenko on his hill will stand and salute all those who continue the fight
All the greats of Ukraine who told us that it was so will rise from the ashes
And dance when the victory of Ukraine finally comes and wraps us within
Our souls and spirits know it, feel it, smell it and taste it
Our bodies may be worn, hungry, tired, abused, injured and broken
But it is within that counts and together, we all know that
So we will light our candles in our churches and pray before icons
Some of us will fast for the coming Nativity season and St. Nicholas Day
We are used to giving up things so others may fight, may win and may continue
United no matter what our race, creed or identity in the battle with evil
All of us will stand against it in our own way, raise whatever weapons we may have at our disposal
We strike down that evil that has come from the ugly east
With pen, with sword, with voice, with guns, artillery and drones
Stand with us if you believe in freedom is all that we ask
