Love and Smoke

For Luba

they crawl through rubble amongst

burning cities buried in snow.

flames lick the icy sky,

men cry for their wives, mothers, daughters—

tears black with ash,

black like they’ve never seen before.

boys barely turned men,

applauded for

holding guns

that barely fit their arms.

the land is bleeding, its blood running white

with children,

alone and afraid—

told to leave behind a life;

the only things they’ve ever know.

but still the people rise,

still they fight, fierce and proud

against a hailstorm of bombs,

a hurricane of bullets.

with every bloodshed, anger rises;

a nation up in smoke,

but rising from the ashes.

любити і курити.

Слава Україні! Slava Ukrayini!