Elegy to the Shattered Mosaic, by ​​Ksenia Rychtycka

Boryviter, by Alla Horska (Ukraine) 1967

Elegy to the Shattered Mosaic 
 
“Ukrainians recreate damaged Mariupol mosaic as a symbol of hope. An exact reproduction of a Soviet-era mosaic destroyed during Russia's 2022 siege of Mariupol has been unveiled in Kyiv's Maidan Square, offering a sense of cultural resilience and identity in times of conflict.” 
– CGTN (Source: Reuters)
 
Oh, sweet kestrel 
how high you soared 
determined and steady 
gliding across sky, 
heartbeat quickening.
 
Majestic bird of prey 
fluttering midair 
you were borne from hands
of dissident artists, crafted 
of opaque marbled glass,  
 
ceramic tiles, glinting
aluminum spoons. 
Echoing rich folk tradition,
spanning an entire seaside
restaurant wall 
 
flying amid shimmering cascades 
of vivid blue, gray and green,
the burnt amber of setting sun,
beak held high 
yes, defiant and proud. 
 
When artillery fire first rocked
your city, you held strong 
through explosions, 
the barbarity of invasion,
till the deep strikes 
 
left a gaping wound 
glass and metal 
crashing down
rubble everywhere
in now-occupied territory.
 
 Oh, dear kestrel 
you are not forgotten,
every tile and sheet
of metal replicated 
from archival photos.
 
Each subtle colour, 
each sculptural texture 
gleams anew.
What was lost 
is now restored.
 
Oh, majestic kestrel 
How you soar.

​​Ksenia Rychtycka

Ksenia Rychtycka, a Michigan-based poet and writer, is the author of the award-winning poetry chapbook A Sky Full of Wings and the short story collection Crossing the Border. Ksenia has traveled through 12 countries in Europe and worked as an editor in Ukraine during the early years of the post-Soviet era. Recent work has appeared in Peninsula Poets and The Poetry Distillery. 

after the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.