Trafika Europe 7 - Ukrainian Prayer

NIGHT PLANES

Night planes fly past invisibly, Snow falls on the city street, At one AM they turn off the dim street lamps, And the last tramcars disappear... Only drowsy buildings remain, Trees are dark, but the heart is hot Like a warm clod of living earth. These days like years pass slowly

These days of ill-defined fog, of snows, Breakfasts, lunches, monotonous events... But listen— every so often at night Tragic keys turn in the gates, And specters of unknown recollections Rise through the rattle of night planes. The shattered window of a forgotten school Will shine in the heart of the city—or maybe it’s a cathedral.

Or the squares of shattered streets, Or the clearings of winter forests...

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