Ifeanyichukwu Onwughalu
Ifeanyichukwu Onwughalu
Mar 09, 2022

May day, May day Kharkiv on fire!

A city once vibrant. Flourishing -

Now filled with pain and fear:
Desolate. Such that her belly is emptied: citizens on the run...

Emptied of families once gathered at dinner -

Laughter flowed freely when mouths fed at table -
Borsch and cutlets. Salo and kielbasa.

Where are they now?
Burrowed in bunkers? Or
Buried in rottenness?

Here lie dead bodies bloating on streets:
Russian birds spewed acids on them.

Z jets roared in her skies -
Like stars that died thousand years ago. Now down.
Now burnt.
Ashes and smokes: fatal losses -
Brave warriors of watch night hail!

May day! May day! They retreat! Like
A dog with tail between it's legs. Such that
May day happened in February
Enemy drained. War paused...

Drama of talks in field of play
Kaboom in a tete-a-tete
Cocktail of diplomacy. Pretense in display.

O ye corridor, can you grant me exit to safety?
Free from this cacophony:
This denazification. This demilitarization. This deceit
That gurgled our blood.

What will tomorrow unfold?
Thorns and roses or lilies -
Or basket of crimsoned hibiscus?

Dearest Iryna send in flowers from yonder:
Hordes of them to flood me. To fly
To your warm homely hands. 

About This Poem

Last Few Words: This poem is an account of the Russian invasion of Kharkiv, a city in Ukraine.

Editing Stage: Editing - rough draft

About the Author

Region, Country: Nigeria, Enugu, NGA

Favorite Poets: Christopher Okigbo

More from this author

Comments

Geezer

reading the poetic reporting of the invasion of Ukraine.
The images you present are devastating, but strangely appealing
at the same time. I am sure that one day, people will look upon these pieces
and say that; there was a man who understood that even death and
destruction deserve to be described in eloquent terms.

A couple of things I noticed:
1]. The word [lies] should be singular, delete the [s]
2]. Pretence should be spelled with an [s] instead of a [c]
3]. I would use a different word than [succulent], the use of which means
edible or sweet to eat. Something that doesn't quite fit your meaning.
Other than that, I absolutely love these poems. ~ Geez.
.

Candlewitch

it is a good thing to purge your thoughts and feelings on this horrific happening, by writing about it. it is definitely good therapy. how does one begin to get over something so appalling? I can't know exactly what you are going through, I can only imagine... my heart goes out to you and your people.

*hugs, Cat
p.s.
yesterday I was e-mailed a petition for President Biden to get more involved. I signed it and added my name on the list of supporters.

Ifeanyichukwu Onwughalu

Hi Candlewitch, it is absolutely devastating what's going on there in Ukraine. One cannot imagine the pains of loss and despair of millions of families there and the rest of the world. This unnecessary war has got to stop.

Thanks for reaching out.

Ifeanyichukwu Onwughalu

Hey Cosmos, thanks for reaching out and I appreciate your critique. Indeed, these are sad times for Ukrainians and the world at large. Our poetry reportage of the events is needed too you know. Let love and peace reign.