Missiles split the dark —
My city trembles and answers.
Thunder, then silence.
I will not turn away my eyes —
But my heart is pounding hard.
May 13
May 13, 2026 at 9:41 PM UTC
Missiles split the dark —
My city trembles and answers.
Thunder, then silence.
I will not turn away my eyes —
But my heart is pounding hard.
Written in Kyiv during the ongoing war. Tanka — a Japanese form, five lines. The missiles are real. The thunder of air defense is real. The choice to keep your eyes open — that is also real. Fear and will exist in the same body at the same moment. That is what this feels like from the inside.
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