In response to Lori Schreiner’s painting “Holding Tight to All we Love in an Underground Shelter” and an article by C.J. Chivers
sideways in your arms,
trusting. But it knows
fear: when your young,
blushed face leans heavy
against your boyfriend,
Maksym, his hat worn
too many air-raided days
amid a subway’s stench
of shock and dread.
You love your home
but leave it, visit when
shells cease and soldiers
go to military tents
beyond the concrete
tons of Ukrainian grief.
We wish you all well, especially
when you leave Kyiv.
Godspeed,
T & L
Short-lined letter form borrowed from Jessica Cuello’s book Yours, Creature.
oil on paper, 12″ × 10″, 2024
In response to Alexander Chekmenev’s New York Times photo