Also in Poetry:

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Gari Lait. From Those Ravines
От острых восприятий – яркий луч,
он изнутри не посягает на окрестность,
несовершенство облаков и туч,
на подсознании диктовалось с детства.
За год до танков в Праге, и конца
весны, пришедшей за полярной ночью,
мы у родителей случились, образца,
тех, кто был уничтожен среди прочих.
Из первой памяти пришёл порезом Яр,
я и сейчас ищу ответ в его оврагах,
фантомный – пулевых отверстий жар,
порой невыносим в своих зигзагах…
А в целом – генетический багаж —
у нас такой – врагам бы не приснилось,
мы потому не замечаем мелких краж,
что вечно на дороге в Саласпилс.
Экватор не сменил ориентир,
слой облаков всегда лучу уступит,
и кто, кого, зачем и как простил… —
Oтвет из области риторики поступит.
Мы всё же появились, вопреки,
с особым стержнем, ощущения надрыва,
и не изменим предначертанной строки,
чтоб всё у них не вышло с перерывом

 

* * *
A brighter ray of sharp perceptions comes to life—
comes from within, it’s pondering and subtle
such imperfection of the clouds feeds all strife,
subconscious childhood resurfaces to stutter…
The year before Prague witnessed Russian tanks,
apparent spring succumbed to winter’s echo,
our parents braved the cold (so many thanks!).
And we appeared to fill the void of murdered brethren…
First memory brought forth the Babiy Yar
from those ravines I seek the answers even now
my phantom burns from bullet holes don’t get me very far,
the pain excruciating, as I bow…
Our genetic burden overall,
is of the sort one wouldn’t wish as wind on willows,
don’t even notice petty theft at all,
as our thoughts are on the march to Salaspils.
Not much has changed, equator measures still,
yet a brighter ray will always pierce the cloud cover
Who had forgiven, perpetrators, victims will…
Deadlock in rhetoric—there’s nothing to discover.
Yet we appeared—the odds were there to beat,
our core peculiar, on verge of constant tearing
We won’t give up the corner of our street,
Despite attempts of present Goebbels, Hess or Goering

About the Author:

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Gari Lait
Chicago, USA

Gari Light, Born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1967. Lives in the United States since 1980. Graduated from Northwestern University. Became a lawyer some short time after, and worked in the area of international jurisprudence, both in the U.S, and abroad.  Light’s several books of poetry were published in Russian, starting in 1992. His English language poetry book entitled Confluences appeared both in U.S. and in Europe in 2020.  Gari is regularly published in literary magazines and takes part in poetry readings on both sides of the Atlantic.

Gari Lait Гари Лайт
Bookshelf
Version 1.0.0
by Nina Kossman

 

A new book of poems by Nina Kossman. “When the mythological and personal meet, something transforms for this reader…” -Ilya Kaminsky

book one
by Sergii Mazurkevych

From the myths of the ancient Near East to the secluded palaces of forgotten empires, Harems: Origins and Eunuchs uncovers how the idea of the harem first emerged — not only as a symbol of power and beauty, but also as a reflection of human desire, faith, and control. With the precision of a historian and the sensitivity of a storyteller, Sergii Mazurkevych traces the hidden world of eunuchs, devotion, and intrigue that shaped entire civilizations. A thoughtful and visually rich journey into one of history’s most secret institutions.

100 pms war
by Julia Nemirovskaya, editor

This excellent anthology, compiled and edited by Julia Nemirovskaya, showcases poems by Russian (and Russian-speaking) poets who express their absolute rejection of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Videos
Play Video
EastWest Literary Forum Bilingual Poetry & Prose Reading. July 13, 2025.
Length: 2 hrs. 08 min