People seeking.
Information about.
The fate of.
Their loved ones.
Awaited any shred.
Of information.
From returning.
Prisoners of war.
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
One thing was certain, that.
The white kitten had nothing to do with it.
The families of.
Missing ‘elves’ soldiers.
Gathered close to.
The border with Belarus.
On Monday.
As a planned prisoner swap.
Between ‘Mordor’ and.
Ukraine took place.
As the bus carrying.
Prisoners of war arrived.
A crowd of relatives.
Surged forward.
Many brandishing photos.
Of missing fathers.
Missing brothers.
And missing sons.
Faces were filled.
With apprehension.
Few expected.
To be reunited.
And most were just.
Desperate for information.
After waiting years.
For any news.
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
White Pawn to play.
And win in eleven moves.
During the latest round.
Of direct talks.
In Turkey.
Last week.
The two warring sides.
Agreed to exchange.
Sick and heavily wounded.
Prisoners of war.
Those aged.
Under 25.
And the bodies of.
12,000 soldiers.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
The exchange would unfold.
“In several stages”.
Over the coming days.
Writing on Telegram, he said:
“The process is quite complicated.
There are many sensitive details.
Negotiations continue virtually every day.”
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
‘I am real!’ said Alice,
and began to cry.
Officials in Kyiv said.
Some of the ‘elves’ prisoners.
Who returned.
On Monday.
Had been in.
‘Orcs’ captivity.
Since the beginning.
Of the war.
A woman, who had gathered.
With other ‘elves’.
In the Chernihiv region.
Close to Belarus.
Carried a cardboard sign.
With photos of.
Her father and cousin.
Both still missing.
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
White Pawn to play.
And win in eleven moves.
“When my father.
Went to fight.
My biggest fear was that.
He would go missing.”
She said, her eyes.
Filling with tears.
“I hoped maybe.
He’d be wounded.”
“And come back.”
“And come back.”
The war has exacted.
A heavy toll on the family.
Her uncle was killed.
Last September.
But his body was only.
Recently returned for burial.
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
‘I am real!’ said Alice,
and began to cry.
When one of.
The returned prisoners.
Appeared at.
An upstairs window.
Women waiting below.
Hurled the names of.
Regiments at him.
Hoping he might have news.
He apologized.
Made a heart sign.
With his hands.
And called out.
“Slava Ukraini”.
– glory to Ukraine.
“Heroiam Slava”.
– glory to the heroes –
The crowd replied.
In unison.
“Heroiam Slava”.
– glory to the heroes –
Glimpsed briefly.
Through the crowd.
As they were escorted inside.
Some of the soldiers looked gaunt.
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
White Pawn to play.
And win in eleven moves.
“They spent a lot of time.
In ‘orcs’ places of detention.
Without any visits of.
International Red Cross.”
A man, of ‘elves’.
Coordination HQ.
For prisoners of war, said.
“They spent a lot of time.”
“Their health conditions.
Are very poor.
They have not had.
Sufficient food.”
“Of course they need.
A long period.
Of rehabilitation.”
“Of course they need.”
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
‘I am real!’ said Alice,
and began to cry.
But a 23-year-old.
Back on home soil.
After three years and.
Three months of captivity.
Seemed happy enough.
Seemed happy enough.
After a bowl of.
‘Elves’ soup.
As he turned to leave.
Women pressed forward.
Pushing pictures.
Of the missing.
Into his arms.
Hoping he might.
Recognise someone.
Recognise someone.
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
White Pawn to play.
And win in eleven moves.
Last week.
Moscow and Kyiv.
Accused each other.
Of disrupting.
The planned repatriation.
Of the bodies.
Of dead soldiers.
‘Mordor’ said that.
The bodies of more than.
1,000 ‘elves’ soldiers.
Had been taken to.
An agreed exchange point.
But that ‘elves’ officials.
Had never arrived.
Ukraine accused ‘Mordor’ of.
“Playing dirty games”.
And alleged that.
‘Mordor’ was not sticking to.
The agreed parameters.
Of the swap.
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
The chessmen were walking about.
Two and two!
Through the Looking-Glass.
And what Alice found there.
One thing was certain, that.
The white kitten had nothing to do with it.
She was one.
Of a crowd.
Of relatives.
Who gathered.
In the hopes.
Of reuniting with.
Of reuniting with.
Missing family members.
*Because I read “Families of missing Ukrainians gather as prisoner exchange begins” by Paul Adams & Laura Gozzi on 10 Jun 2025, 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 Tetiana, Valentyn and Mykola, a story of Petro Yatsenko, and a story of Valera, led by ‘THROUGH the LOOKING-GLASS’ written by Lewis Carroll, you know.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Families of missing Ukrainians gather as prisoner exchange begins
