by Vyacheslav Konoval

A new moon was born,
he looks into the blue mirror,
spotted fireflies become signposts.
 
A new moon was born
long nights are harbingers of winter
the earth put on white tents,
everything is in white,
as if it were with grandmother’s carpets.
 
Children’s laughter and gifts of Saint Nicholas,
somewhere in the memories of the worldly,
no hustle and bustle of people
and enemy warehouses are burning on the front lines,
red mushrooms erupt.
Frozen festive illumination
in bright pictures,
without laughter, in tears, in the confusion,
it’s a mournful Christmas.

Vyacheslav Konoval is a Ukrainian poet whose work is devoted to the most pressing social problems of our time, such as poverty, ecology, relations between the people and the government, and war.

His poems have appeared in many magazines, including Anarchy Anthology Archive, International Poetry Anthology, Literary Waves Publishing, Sparks of Caliope, Reach of the Song 2022, Diogenes for Culture Journal, Scars of my heart from the war, Poetry for Ukraine, Rhyming, La page Blanche, Norwich University research center, Impakter, Military Review, The Lit, Allegro, Innisfree poetry journal, Atunes Galaxy Poetry, Ekscentrika, Mere Inkling, EgoPhobia, Fulcrum, Omnibus, Adirondack Center for Writing, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Revista Literaria Taller Igitur, Tarot Poetry Journal, Tiny Seed Literature Journal, Best American Poetry Blog, Quilled Ink Review, Chronograph Poetry Journal, the Appalachian Journal Dark Horse.

Vyacheslav’s poems were translated into Spanish, French, Scottish, and Polish languages. His poems also have been read at meetings of various poetry groups, including Newman Poetry Group, Never Talk Innocence, Voicing Art Poetry Reading for Ukraine, Worcester County Poetry, Brussels Writer’s Circle, and Poets Anonymous May Middle-Met, Brett Show by Andrea, the Manx Bard group, and Allingham Art Festival. He is a member of the Geer Poetry Group (Wales) and a member of the Federation of Scottish Writers.