Gari Lait. As Murdered March Was Falling to the Ground

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Gari Lait. As Murdered March Was Falling to the Ground

 
Emotions, which by now are gone,

as winter blues appear to be half troubles.

Global calamity is caused by certain evil,

which came on line, as winter ceased to be.

The wound is triggered by a February short circuit

to earth, it will be healing for an eternity, if at all –

in a planetary meaning, as well as others,

when an apartment building is annihilated live,

directly, aiming at the higher floors –

burning the kitchens, books on shelves,

children’s shoes, medicine on a table, a ray,

along with an old man’s cry: “No forgiveness, ever!”

As murdered March was falling to the ground,

it had a chance to let this April know –

the same conclusions, prophecies not heard

a man is still imperfect and unneeded, cruel,

yet, all in all so brave and even loved,

when uttering -“We will defend our city…”

When us and them as was before

determined, this century as well, by spilling blood.

When humans don’t abandon dogs and cats,

among the sirens, overcoming mirk…

Emotions have retreated, then have gone,

there will be time for all the measuring and damning

And yet, despite, what chooses to remain,

the awareness of conscience’ caustic smoke…

Forever Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol,

and that remaining prophecy: Will triumph!
 
The original
 
Эмоции которых больше нет,

зима прошедшая была из полубед.

Убожество – вселенская беда

в конце зимы вотнула провода…

Коротким замыканьем февраля

теперь надолго ранена земля –

в значении планетарном и другом,

когда в прямом эфире гибнет дом,

прямой наводкой, по высоким этажам –

по кухням, и по книжным стеллажам,

по детским тапочкам, лекарствам и лучу,

по старческому крику: “…не прощу!”…

Убитый март скатился под откос,

но до апреля истину донес –

по-прежнему не узнан имярек,

не совершенен, груб, не нужен человек,

но вместе с тем самоотвержен, и любим,

когда звучит – “мы Город не сдадим”…

Когда само понятие свои,

и в двадцать первом возникает на крови.

Когда спасают кошек и собак,

среди сирен, превозмогая мрак…

Эмоции ушли на задний план,

всему свое – проклятьям, временам..

В остатке совесть, осознание, едкий дым

Чернигов, Харьков, Мариуполь… Победим!
 
4/02-22/22

_____________________________________________
Both versions (English & Russian) are the author’s.

About the Author:

6-25-20_GL in New York_fall 2017 (2) (2) (1)
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
Bookshelf
1. Dislocation
by Julia Nemirovskaya and Anna Krushelnitskaya, editors

This collection focuses on the war between Russia and Ukraine as seen by Russophone poets from all over the world.

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by Nina Kossman

“Monkey’s Defense” is a collection of short stories and parables by Nina Kossman.

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by Boris Kokotov

This collection includes poems written in 2020-2023.  (Russian edition)

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by Marina Eskin (Eskina)

“The Lingering Twilight” (“Сумерки”) is Marina Eskin’s fifth book of poems. (Russian edition)

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