The mark of death
Frozen features of the face
Tears fill my eyes
I cast a clump of earth
Into the fresh dark grave
May 8
May 8, 2026 at 11:13 PM UTC
The mark of death
Frozen features of the face
Tears fill my eyes
I cast a clump of earth
Into the fresh dark grave
Written in Kyiv during the ongoing war. Tanka — a Japanese form, five lines. There are no metaphors here. The face is real. The grave is real. The clump of earth in your hand is real. War is not an abstraction — it is this gesture, repeated too many times, in too many cemeteries, in too many cities.
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