Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

Grease-stained clouds,

the tanks are leaking

and the rebellious sunset,

a power plant, the grand prize.

They’re cluster bombing towns,

missiles as battle cries,

a pack of wolves run wild;

the oil pan hillside drips dry.

Freedom of speech is criminalized,

and the young pups lie:

“We’re old enough to die,

we’re old enough to bleed and die.

We’re more than casualties,”

they scream, but no one intervenes,

as the bully blocks the sea.


“We are ready to fight to the last bullet,” said the Mykolaiv’s mayor, Oleksandr Senkevich, standing in his office with a pistol in his pocket.

22 responses to “To The Last Bullet”

  1. 🇺🇦🙏🏻🇺🇦😭😭

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    1. Indeed.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Tom Avatar

    Deeply powerfully and sobering verses, K! A timely reminder worth remembering.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, sadly I imagine there will be many stories worthy of telling and retelling in the days to come.

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Stunning imagery alongside beautiful narrative!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for reading this one, Jaya. I feel honored to try and tell these stories with as much truth and passion as I can create.

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  4. 💔 moving write!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Tricia. I caught up on news today, and it was heartbreaking.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes, I think it won’t improve much either. Not sure I’ll turn the news on tonight!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I understand. Personally, I have to read it and then watch it in small batches. I feel obligated to bear witness, though.

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      3. 💓

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  5. very powerful

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    1. Thank you, Worms. Tough to even try and fathom what Ukrainians must be going through right now.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes. 😦

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  6. Bless Ukraine 🇺🇦 this situation should never happened period !

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  7. Heartrendingly true.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. very timely and powerfully written; comrade Putrid should hang his head in shame !

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Agreed. It seems like the least we can do is bear witness.

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  9. It fills my head with nightmares, and I’ve come to fear the night more than the reality of the day.

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    1. Yes, I too dream of war these days. 💜

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Very strange, isn’t it. Our brains are far too empathetic.

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  10. Powerful and devastatingly true.

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