Poems for Ukraine 29/04/22
Poets have always responded to war by writing poetry — it’s what we do. Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on 24th February this year people started sending The Friday Poem their poems about the war — poems about resistance, poems of protest, and poems about specific individuals affected by the fighting. These are stories of courage, grief and hope. We have decided to publish some every week. Slava Ukraini!
When Yuriy Glodan Went Shopping in Odesa by Sue Norton
Cat by Deborah Finding
When Yuriy Glodan Went Shopping in Odesa
Yuriy swipes through pictures
(wife Valeria, daughter Kira)
with our reporter. Valeria had found
a new level of happiness when
Kira was born, a month before the war.
Three months later, Valeria posted
on Instagram It has been the best 40 weeks.
Yuriy wants the world to know
what happened when he went to the shops.
I hope our story helps to stop this war.
There’s not much left in the wrecked flat.
Some photo albums, the baby’s stroller
now in pieces. A carrier bag containing nappies.
Please take them, he tells us. Give them to charity.
I have no need for them now.
Odesa missile attack: ‘My world was destroyed by a Russian missile’ by Caroline Davies, reporting from Odesa — BBC news 24/04/22
Cat
if you want to know the truth
I have never really liked this cat
even though
I will carry it anyway
it has an annoyingly loud miaow
waking you up
when you should have been sleeping
before the bombs did that
I don’t want you to be scared
I will leave things behind
the cat will come with us
so you don’t have to learn about loss yet
say ‘I will see you very soon’ to your father
so you don’t have to learn about loss yet
the cat will come with us
I will leave things behind
I don’t want you to be scared
before the bombs did that
when you should have been sleeping
waking you up
it has an annoyingly loud miaow
I will carry it anyway
even though
I have never really liked this cat
if you want to know the truth
