“In the Crimea,” by Arkhyp Kuindzhi, via WikiArt.

With a pair of wolves I walk over the stones.
Clouds are pressing on my shoulders,
And someone says that this is the fog over us.
In the church, they gave me the prosphora with your image,
And all the icons and photos had become alien to me a long time ago.
I remember them as I live with a bullet in my heart.
The wolves’ paws are fast but they are waiting for me
The wolves’ love is stronger,
But they are pulling me close to them.
For we are really those ones who killed you.
Somewhere, along this worried way of life,
I woke up dead in your body.
And I became deranged because of the Lord’s grief.

Many thanks to Kate Tsurkan for tireless efforts to get work from Ukrainian writers translated and published quickly, including this piece.

Khrystia Vengryniuk

Khrystia Vengryniuk is a poet, author, literary historian, and painter who lives in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, where she serves as editor-in-chief of Chornivivtsi, the country’s top publisher of children’s books. She is the author of essay collections and volumes of poetry, as well as the co-author of several anthologies. She works in poetry in multiple genres, including film and video, and has participated in various literary festivals with her multimedia poetry. She is currently volunteering in local efforts to aid the Ukrainian army and refugees.

Dmytro Kyyan

Dmytro Kyyan is a writer, editor, and translator. In the 1990s, he became the editor-in-chief of Foto & Video magazine in Moscow. During his time at the magazine, he published and interviewed legendary photographers such as Richard Avedon, David Bailey, and Irving Penn. He also published many rising stars from across Eastern Europe. Originally from Kharkiv, he currently resides in New York City.