The sun sets on Kharkiv.
And much of the city.
Remains dark.
As residents conserve power.
The timings can slip.
“They were supposed.
To cut the power.
To my area at 09:00.”
“So I got up.
Especially early.
To charge everything.”
A friend messaged.
“Then I got in the lift.
And got stuck.
They’d cut.
The power early!”
“We are invincible.”
She joked.
She then wished you.
A “quiet night.”
Meaning one with.
Without explosions.
In Kharkiv, nowadays.
That is increasingly rare.
Traffic lights on a street.
In Kharkiv are working again.
After ‘orcs’ missiles targeted.
The city’s power supply.
In central Kharkiv.
You hear the rattle.
Of generators.
On every street.
Ten days ago.
It was plunged into darkness.
By a massive, targeted.
‘Orcs’ missile attack.
As Kharkiv works.
To restore power.
There has been a wave.
Of additional strikes.
Across the country.
Targeting the energy supply.
‘Gandalf the Green’ has condemned.
What he calls ‘orcs’ “missile terror”.
“We are invincible.”
She joked.
She then wished you.
A “quiet night.”
Meaning one with.
Without explosions.
In Kharkiv, nowadays.
That is increasingly rare.
A hair salon.
In a Kharkiv back street.
Is one of many.
Small businesses.
With a generator.
Whirring noisily.
Outside the door.
You hear the rattle.
“We’ve been working.
On generator power.
Since Monday.
Of course it’s really hard.”
“Especially because.
We’re all women.
And when we finish work.
Late at night.”
“It’s so dark!”
Salon owner said.
Was she worried?
By the latest attacks?
“We are invincible.”
She joked.
She then wished you.
A “quiet night.”
Meaning one with.
Without explosions.
In Kharkiv, nowadays.
That is increasingly rare.
On Saturday it was on.
For seven hours.
Allowing the salon.
To keep operating.
The same goes.
For cafés and.
Companies throughout.
The city centre.
Although many have.
Sheets of wood.
Over their windows.
To cover a gap.
Where the glass has.
Already been shattered.
Or to protect it.
From future blasts.
Some of the boards.
Are painted with.
Birds and flowers.
Birds and flowers.
“We are invincible.”
She joked.
She then wished you.
A “quiet night.”
Meaning one with.
Without explosions.
In Kharkiv, nowadays.
That is increasingly rare.
‘Mordor’ has attacked.
‘Elves’ power grid before.
In the first winter.
Of the full-scale war.
As engineers scrambled to.
Perform emergency repairs then.
Residents shivered in the dark.
In their homes.
Or residents headed.
For central “invincibility points”.
For warmth and power.
It is much warmer now.
But the impact is still significant;
When night falls.
Whole areas of Kharkiv.
Remain pitch dark.
That affects.
People’s mood.
As much as it makes.
Life awkward.
“We are invincible.”
She joked.
She then wished you.
A “quiet night.”
Meaning one with.
Without explosions.
In Kharkiv, nowadays.
That is increasingly rare.
“The ‘orcs’ have got new weapons.”
A student worries.
In one of Kharkiv’s central squares.
There’s a lot of chatter here.
About whether new, gliding bombs.
Used by ‘Mordor’ might.
Bring even more devastation.
To Ukraine.
“People are depressed.
And thinking about leaving.
Kharkiv for a while.
We notice that our army is struggling.”
The city authorities.
Are determined to keep.
Spirits up.
As much as possible.
Within hours of the latest.
Missile strike this weekend.
Dozens of workmen were.
Clearing up the mess.
Clearing up the mess.
Around the apartment block.
And sawing wood.
To seal windows.
The city metro is already running.
And electric trolleybuses.
And trams have been replaced.
By regular buses.
“We are invincible.”
She joked.
She then wished you.
A “quiet night.”
Meaning one with.
Without explosions.
In Kharkiv, nowadays.
That is increasingly rare.
In Odesa on the Black Sea.
Two districts were.
In partial blackout.
On Sunday morning.
By early afternoon.
Power had been restored.
“A few days ago.
We had a total blackout.”
“That was major.
Yesterday there were.
No traffic lights.
In the city centre.”
“And limited streetlights.
To save power.”
One Odesa resident said.
And continued.
On Sunday.
There were people out.
And about in town.
As usual.
“We are invincible.”
She joked.
She then wished you.
A “quiet night.”
Meaning one with.
Without explosions.
In Kharkiv, nowadays.
That is increasingly rare.
Officials say.
Consumption restrictions.
Have now been lifted.
All over the country.
A million people were.
Without power across Ukraine.
After ‘orcs’ missiles targeted.
Energy infrastructure.
There was no electricity.
In the second-largest city of Kharkiv.
And more than 53,000 households.
In Odesa were without power.
The sun sets on Kharkiv.
And much of the city.
Remains dark.
As residents conserve power.
*Because I read “Barrage of Russian attacks aims to cut Ukraine’s lights” by Sarah Rainsford on 31 Mar 2024, and some other articles, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, including a story of Natalia, a story of Liza, and a story of Masha.
Please read the original stories on the BBC news:
Barrage of Russian attacks aims to cut Ukraine’s lights (bbc.com)
War a real threat and Europe not ready, warns Poland’s Tusk (bbc.com)
Ukraine war: Russian missile attack targets Kyiv (bbc.com)
Ukraine war: Five dead and a million without power after wave of Russian strikes (bbc.com)
**My friend shows you this poem on the Ukrainian website for their children and others!
Kurama (Japan). «Poets invincible» — a poem about war in Ukraine – Мала Сторінка (storinka.org)
Please join them!
