The remains of New Year decorations.
Which had not been removed.
Before ‘orcs’ invasion on February 24.
In the village of Velyki Prohody.
A Christmas tree.
Wrapped in suspicious looking wires grows.
On the lawn near an abandoned village building.
False alarm. The wires are not explosives.
It is dangerous to go closer.
You can come across a mine anywhere here.
Near the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
10 kilometres from the ‘Mordor’’s border.
Over the past weeks.
‘Elves’ army in a rapid offensive.
Liberated dozens of villages like this one.
But ‘orcs’ army has left its mark.
On the wall behind the Christmas tree.
A large white letter.
“Z” is visible.
The sign is everywhere:
On old cars, farm equipment, fences.
On the walls of gutted houses.
Some, though, have now been painted.
Over with fresh paint.
In some streets.
There is not one single surviving house.
There are burnt cars along the roads.
A battered armoured vehicle is rusting in the bushes.
Its caterpillar track placed.
Near the edge of the road.
Now serves as a speed limiter.
In front of the checkpoint.
The remains of New Year decorations.
Which had not been removed.
Before ‘orcs’ invasion on February 24.
In the village of Velyki Prohody.
Of the several dozens of farmers.
Who survived the occupation.
In the village of Velyki Prohody.
There are mainly elderly people.
The residents of the village speak.
About detentions, abuse and forced labour.
‘Elves’ military showed the place.
Where ‘orcs’ soldiers threw the bodies.
They were three ‘elves’ soldiers.
Who died in battles at the beginning of the war.
Left lying on a pile of rubbish.
Among some bushes.
Their bodies will be taken.
For examination.
And buried with military honours.
By ‘elves’ hands.
The remains of New Year decorations.
Which had not been removed.
Before ‘orcs’ invasion on February 24.
In the village of Velyki Prohody.
In the village council building.
‘Orcs’ soldiers and officers lived.
Judging by the hand-made plaques on the doors.
This building served as a military hospital.
There is an isolation room and other wards.
An icon of St. Nicholas.
‘Mordor’’s most beloved saint.
Is hanging on the wall.
Also two children’s drawings.
One of them features a red flower.
And a heart surrounded by.
Five-pointed stars and the letter Z.
The other portrays a girl in headphones.
Standing on a rainbow, facing the sun.
And holding two red hearts in her hands.
With a grey letter Z hesitantly drawn in the corner.
The remains of New Year decorations.
Which had not been removed.
Before ‘orcs’ invasion on February 24.
In the village of Velyki Prohody.
There are no children.
On the streets.
No one is hurrying.
To return to the village.
A wire is stretched.
At the roadside.
Hinting at the dangers.
Of leaving the path.
Mines can be found anywhere here.
In the grass.
In the bushes.
In both destroyed and intact houses.
One of the explosives experts pulls.
A rectangular, bent, sand-coloured box.
On thin legs from the boot.
Of his car.
It’s a MON-50 anti-personnel mine.
That he found in the grass near the village council.
Such mines are prohibited by an international convention.
Although ‘Mordor’ has not signed up to it.
“Imagine, this land is still full of shells.
From the Second World War,” he says.
Muffled explosions are heard.
Over the horizon.
The remains of New Year decorations.
Which had not been removed.
Before ‘orcs’ invasion on February 24.
In the village of Velyki Prohody.
*Because I read “’ Ukraine war: A village celebrates Russian retreat” by Oleg Karpyak on 20 Sep 2022, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Ukraine war: A village celebrates Russian retreat – BBC News
**My friend shows you this poem and another my poem together about the same resource on the BBC news also on the Ukrainian website for their children and others!
Kurama (Japan). The poems about war in Ukraine 2022 – Мала Сторінка (storinka.org)
Please join them!
