Tag Archives: War

this terminal horizon

rockets, the whistle & drone
chill morning’s zombied air
& perhaps i’m wondering why
as grief covets the grasp of resolve
why more things can’t be possible
why all tomorrows must end

for certain i once was not
dread certain i’ll be not again
but how many days shall pass between
between crib & the yawning earth
for to compose nullifidian hymns
for to soothe in the ghast of dawn

& mainly they drink their own tears
vainly they think their pious fictions
plainly i’ll not be fooled so again
by the quiver of strongmen in bunkers
by gormless rumours of peace
by hope or scripture or fairness or whim

why all tomorrows must end
round & round in war’s grave spin
for to soothe in the ghast of dawn
& the immurement of being
by hope or scripture or fairness or whim
we inhumane vie for suffering

by TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2023

saving private myself

a wall at the edge of my mind
my eyes said not to put it there
well, don’t believe your eyes
what is this, anyway?

is the wall to keep them out
or to keep me, the recalcitrant, in?
well, i don’t care about walls
and you’re no humpty dumpty

can a wall breach to contrivance?
feel like consensus collapsing?
well, you don’t value consensus
and i’m no citizen of the quorum

(and no one believes in democracy anyway
not anymore)

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2023

#war #grief #hope (#addyourhashtag)

i see clouds through the clouds
and more clouds and then the sky
it’s the colour of obsidian
shot through with arcs of rocket fry

1… 2… war coming for you
3… 4… better lock your door

i see lies through the lies
and more lies and then the truth (i hope)
but the truth can be hard to hold
burns through more hearts than can cope

5… 6… grab your crucifix
7… 8… better stay up late

i see pain through the pain
and more pain and then the pain (it’s 2023)
where are our blue skies and amber
shone through by unbroken sovereignty

9… 11… never again
23… 24… forevermore…

but i see hope through the fog of war
and i don’t care that you think me a fool
life’s better than agreeing underground
that it’s better being above the ground

by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2023

TATI’S TRANSLATIONS // Young Ukrainian Poets: Poseidon

Tati Translates Poseidon

Literary classics aren’t always created by the greying elder statesmen and women of the writing world. You know the ones. They’re all wise and wrinkly and impassive, and woe betide the scholar who dares mount an honest critique of their bodies of work.

You see, literary classics are also written by upstart youngsters. These youngsters are full of vitality and creativity. They live fully awake and fully aware during these very difficult times. Nothing escapes their notice and they’re unafraid to share what they really think. They walk among us right now, breathing, smiling and crying, loving and hating, experiencing the full range of their humanity without apology.

This series presents names that you won’t find in textbooks or on Wikipedia, but these are the very youngsters who are creating modern Ukrainian literature right now. Trust us, you will want to check them out because it’s only a matter of time before they become household names. When we go back to these writers in two hundred years, we have no doubt that they’ll be mentioned in the same breath as luminaries such as Taras Shevchenko and Lesya Ukrainka.

Untitled

When everything ends
The sirens grown numb
Loved ones will be hugged
Properly, as they should be

Following the north wind
I will reach an areal of tears
Mighty and ancient
I will bow to the ocean
And begin to cry bitterly

I will give my soul
To heal children’s wounds
I will give my blood
For the lives of veterans

I will give my heart
For the devouring of the fucking war
Ripping it out again, and again
For the memory of the deceased
For the memory of scars

I will give my body
To dissolve in a wineglass
I will give my life
For this free, unsubdued land
Lay here forever
With my happy
Bones

Без назви

Коли все закінчиться
Зніміють сирени
Близькі будуть обійняті
Як слід, як треба

За вітром північним
Дістанусь сліз ареалу
Могутньому і древньому
Вклонюсь океану
І гірко заплачу

Душу віддам
Щоб дитячі загоїти рани
Кров я віддам
Щоб жили ветерани

Серце віддам
Сучій війні на поталу
Вириватиму знову і знову
Щоб пам’ятати полеглих
Щоб не забути про шрами

Тіло віддам
Щоб розчинитись в бокали
Життя віддам
Щоб на вільній, нескореній землі
Залишитись
Щасливими
Кістками

Original poem by POSEIDON
Translation by TETIANA ALEKSINA
© All rights reserved 2023

GUEST POST // This Was Home by Paul! Lang

The first syllable rises from my tongue
As I twist it in a knot
Evoke
There are frogs singing in the darkness behind my house and
Today of all days, the day of my unmaking
You came in to my castle, broke the walls down and
Sent me spiraling into my own vortex
You can fall into yourself just like
A corpse can tumble headlong into the trenches under heavy gunfire
War and relationship
And endless false prayers for peace
We twist about interminably
But in the end, we always soldier on

by PAUL! LANG
© All rights reserved 2023