As the building burned.
Sending black smoke.
Across Kharkiv.
He looked on in despair.
Two glide bombs destroyed.
A DIY superstore.
And garden centre.
On Saturday afternoon.
He, a manager of one of.
The other stores.
In the shopping centre.
Looked on in despair.
“The ‘orcs’ want to burn.
Everything down.
But we won’t give up.”
“But we won’t give up.”
“A lot of people were in there.
As it’s warm now.
And the gardening season.
Has begun.”
“In the shop.
There was soil, and plants.”
“Look what beautiful flowers.
They had here.”
He took out his mobile.
And scrolled through photos.
Of the superstore.
Before the attack.
“And not a single.
Military man.
Everyone was.
A civilian.”
Dozens were injured.
And at least 15 people.
Were confirmed killed.
With more bodies left to find.
As the garden centre burned.
Couples walked their dogs.
In some parts of Kharkiv.
Daily life continues.
As the building burned.
Sending black smoke.
Across Kharkiv.
He looked on in despair.
Two glide bombs destroyed.
A DIY superstore.
And garden centre.
On Saturday afternoon.
In the magnificent squares.
In the centre of Kharkiv.
Cafés were open.
Ignoring air raid sirens.
In the magnificent squares.
In the centre of Kharkiv.
Cafés were open.
Ignoring alerts on mobile apps.
On the steps of.
The opera house.
Teenage boys practiced.
Jumps on their skateboards.
On the steps of.
The opera house.
Girls were recording.
TikTok dances on their phones.
Inside the opera house.
In a deep concrete basement.
An orchestra was rehearsing.
For the music festival.
That the war has not stopped.
Their stoic composure.
Cannot conceal the fact that.
Ukraine is in its worst crisis.
As the building burned.
Sending black smoke.
Across Kharkiv.
He looked on in despair.
Two glide bombs destroyed.
A DIY superstore.
And garden centre.
On Saturday afternoon.
Ukraine is in its worst crisis.
Since the first few months.
After ‘orcs’’ full-scale invasion.
More than two years ago.
The garden centre attack was.
One of many strikes here.
In the north east.
As well as on the eastern front.
The garden centre attack was.
One of many strikes here.
In the north east.
As well as in the south near Kherson.
‘Elves’ capacity to defend.
Itself depends on others.
On decisions taken by.
Its Western allies that are shaping.
Events here in Kharkiv.
And other cities.
And right along more than.
1,000km of front line.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
3,000 such bombs were dropped.
On the country.
In March alone.
As the building burned.
Sending black smoke.
Across Kharkiv.
He looked on in despair.
Two glide bombs destroyed.
A DIY superstore.
And garden centre.
On Saturday afternoon.
*Because I read “Jeremy Bowen: Ukraine faces its worst crisis since the war began” by Jeremy Bowen on 28 May 2024, “Russian strike on Kharkiv supermarket kills 12” by Jeremy Bowen & Ido Vockand on 26 May 2024, 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 Andrii.
Please read the original stories on the BBC news:
Ukraine war: Kharkiv targeted as Russia grows in strength (bbc.com)
Ukraine war: Russia attacks Kharkiv supermarket (bbc.com)
**My friend kindly shows you this poem in one page of the Ukrainian website for their children and others!
Please join them! You can read my 100 poems here at once.
