Four more sleeps until Christmas and the room is bare
The lights of the Christmas tree glowing across the street
Looking out of the window the children can only stare
Whilst a mother worries if there is enough food to eat
The children want a tree but that would be a luxury
The pennies that they have must go on food and heat
Suddenly Olga and Alina cried out as they made a discovery
A tree thrown in a bin would make Christmas complete
Svetlana hastened out and they retrieved the tree
Now to make the decorations they would need
In their homeland she remembered how they did this for free
A broken necklace made a garland of coloured bead
A quick visit to the park to collect some cones
Down by the canal where oak bore mistletoe
Assorted bits and bobs strung together found new homes
Two hours later their best tree ever was good to go
Copyright: David Hopcroft December 2022
Різдвяна ялинка 1
Ще четверо спить до Різдва, і кімната пуста.
Вогні ялинки світяться по всій вулиці.
Дивлячись у вікно, діти можуть тільки дивитися.
У той час як мати хвилюється, чи достатньо їжі.
Діти хочуть дерево, але це була б розкіш.
Копійки, які вони мають, мають піти на їжу та тепло.
Раптом Ольга та Аліна закричали, коли зробили відкриття.
Ялинка, викинута у смітник, зробить Різдво завершеним.
Світлана поспішила, і вони дістали дерево.
Тепер потрібно зробити прикраси, які їм знадобляться.
На батьківщині згадала, як робили це безкоштовно.
Зламане намисто робило гірлянду з кольорового бісеру.
Швидкий візит до парку, щоб зібрати кілька шишок.
Внизу біля каналу, де дуб родив омелу.
Різноманітні шматочки, з’єднані разом, знайшли нові домівки.
Через дві години їхнє найкраще дерево було готове.
Авторське право: Девід Хопкрофт, грудень 2022 р
That day as she sealed her marriage she was filled with pride
Her flowing white dress hid pregnancy but she did not care
With flowers in her hair she smiled as she became the blushing bride
A village danced the night away with music on the cobbled square
They celebrated once more on the day that Yuliia was born
The priest held her by the font wrapped in babusia’s shawl
A new chapter in their lives heralded by a golden dawn
Happiness grew with each day as Yuliia learned to crawl
Then gathering clouds brought a darkness to their lives
A call to arms as the tanks began to roll across the plain
Anton and the others now kissed goodbye to tearful wives
Shells burst upon the houses as the enemy took aim
Fearful for her daughter she gathered some clothes and fled
Across the marsh at dead of night through the enemy line
Hours at the border but she believed safety lay ahead
In a shared room through frosted window came sunshine
She found work in a meat packaging factory at night
Some days they strolled in a garden near their home
Today she watched a young child flying a dragon kite
Yuliia had wandered up to an old man sitting all alone
A friendship that slowly grew as each week passed
Until one day she received news that Anton had been slain
A war widow dreading the question that might be asked
How could she tell a stranger when love was mixed with shame
Anton had not marched to the flag that now was glorified
His conscription was not of his choice
The stench of corruption deified purified and justified
A moral vacuum where truth seemed to have no voice
The widow and the old man took the secret to their graves
Yuliia spared the prejudice that might have sealed a different fate
She grew to find happiness and a new life beyond the waves
Saved from judgement by those with the vitriol of patriotic hate
Copyright: David Hopcroft November 2022
I have often wondered when women and children seek shelter and safety how the reaction might differ if they discovered a mother and child who had come from what is seen as the ‘wrong side’?
Park Bench Tales and other writings 