Untitled | Tatiana Pahlen

Untitled

Written by Larisa Kudrina from Donbas
Translated by Tatiana Pahlen

No need to defend us from the Russians
There are two of us – my grandma and my doll.
I want to yell to my daddy, “Please, don't leave us.”
But the mines had blown out at our back doors.

Daddy, please come back to us
Oh God, it's frightening, help us.
We will wait for you, don't send us your farewell
Destroy the Ukrainian fascists first.

It's wet in the basement where we spend every night
Wrapped in the bullet ripped blankets.
We prayed to God to spare us, even the candles cried,
As we slept in the potato boxes.

I grew up and was ready for the third grade
My grandma bought me a new red backpack,
But my childish dreams were abruptly ended,
With the help of our Chocolate Prez imposter.

Today my grandma took a fall and is not breathing,
She couldn’t get up on her own, poor thing
Now I understand she doesn't hear me anymore
How can I survive in this world alone?