Four years ago today, Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, bringing devastation, heartbreak and senseless loss of life.
Every day since, the courage and determination of Ukrainians defending their homeland have continued to inspire people around the world. I have had the honour of meeting refugees who left everything behind to seek safety in Canada, and I am continually inspired by their resilience and strength.
Independence
"Dear Chen-ou, I hope this email finds you well. Share with you my family photo, which was taken this glorious morning."
In the photo, my friend, his wife and two daughters, wrapping themselves in the flags of blue and yellow, stand with arms linked before a row of rusty Russian tanks on Liberation Square.
My friend used to be a Surrealist poet, known for his purposeful use of "obscure and unwieldy verbiage." He sent me the following poem at the end of his lengthy and furious email a week after the Russian invasion.
in smoky twilight
the head of I cut off
the roof of M falling through --
I paint poetry with screams,
the last phase of lyricism
His emails now are short and straight to the point, and often attached with photos to speak for his mood or state of mind, like the one he sent me today. Under his family photo, there is a caption that reads:
If Russia stops fighting, there will be no more war.
If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no more us.
no man's land
between barbed wire fences
the kraa-kraa-kraa
of ravens scratching
at the soldiers' hearts
Ribbons, 19:3, Fall 2023
every day
passes in an endless stream
of breaking news
in a huddle of children
the blind boy quiet ... quieter
Gusts, 36, Fall/Winter 2022
Volodymyr Zelensky says Vladimir Putin "has not achieved his goals" and Ukraine will do everything to achieve peace and justice, on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion
It has been a long, hard and deadly four years. Ukraine is under pressure from Trump’s America to give up strategic land that Russia has failed to capture despite sacrificing thousands of its troops.
At least 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since 24 February 2022 according to Zelensky, but the toll is likely to be higher. BBC analysis estimates Russian military deaths could range from 243,000 and 352,000...
my Kyiv friends and I
tiptoe around the jagged edge
of sorrow
at last the silence
envelopes each of us
To conclude today's Special Feature post, I would like to share with the following tanka set:
Grinding on ...
the wind moans
through snow-laden branches
shadows on their cheeks
white-haired Ukrainians peer
behind shelter windows
in the cold snap
a neon-lit billboard
above Kursk's mall:
men in work suits hold AKs
framed against tricolors
FYI: Kursk is a city in southwestern Russia near the Ukrainian border. And my tanka below could be read as its sequel:
the butcher
throwing more meat
into his grinder
the wall-mounted TV blasts
war after war ...
Ribbons, 20:1, Winter 2024
Added:
Journey, Not Here and Now
Donbas teen's gaze
at a row of church spires ...
sunrise tinged gray
Behind him, the roofline sinks lower with each step, until only the cross atop the church shows above the trees. Ahead, the road bends where he cannot see.
what ifs …
beneath shadowed skies
the border pass
FYI: The vast majority of the Ukrainian region, the Donbas, is now occupied by Russia
