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The cruellest month draws to a close,
still too cold for the dormant bees
to pollinate the mountain groves
of pink and white blossoming trees.
In Ukraine’s cities, B stands for bomb.
23 killed in Uman, the heart
of Ukraine, the cradle of chornozem,
where the soil is clean as coffee grounds,
where Zalizniak and Honta led
the kozaks and the haidamaks
to drive the lords from their land,
where every year on Rosh Hashanah
ten thousand Breslov Hasidim flock
in their payes, black hats and coats,
where beauty and stillness draw many more
to Sofia Park’s flowing waters,
pavilions, sculptures and botanical trove.
The cruellest month may just be starting.
M’aidez! M’aidez! M’aidez!
April 30, 2023
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