In my dreams, I am in Kyiv.
Between the air raid sirens, silence is unbearable, fluffy, like cotton wool. Sometimes the thunder of far-away mortar explosions and I imagine waiting, waiting while hesitant skylarks sing to our new normalcy. During times like this, the first body is shocking, now they are just distractions to the daily routines of finding scraps for food, the dead are just numbers while over my head the first shades of green buds from the branches. Soon the cherry trees have blossomed while we forgot to notice, but when finally air fills with its falling petals, I notice what’s been lost.
When all of a sudden I awake to the peace of my bedroom, I notice how cherry blossoms are just the last snowfall of winter.
no longer crying
stepping on cherry blossoms —
yet a young mother
Victor Borisov-Musatov
Today Frank hosts dVerse Haibun Monday where we write about cherry blossoms. It is still very early for cherry blossoms here, tomorrow they are promising snow again.
March 28, 2022
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Truly a picture of yin and yang on a world scale.
A poignant haibun Björn
Thanks for dropping by to read mine
Much💜love
We’ve had so much to adjust to, but not that, not that, please…
“hesitant skylarks sing to our new normalcy”
I don’t know what to say. Somehow too strong for words. The haiku paired just exactly right with the prose. Everything real, and surreal. Both. Silence is unbearable….yes…
A moving complementarity between your heartrending prose and your sabi-filled haike. Masterfully done, Bjorn!
Well done as usual, Bjorn. The stark contrasts between shock and normalcy are earthshaking.
The last line is beautiful. Yes, the blossoms are like snowfall on the ground.
‘cherry blossoms are just the last snowfall of winter’ ~ beautifully expressed.
Such a powerful contrast, Bjorn.
So true – I love this observation 🙂
Some words require no words. 💌
This very stirring.
I’m afraid the news these days is ripe for nightmares that even cherry blossoms cannot erase.
(sigh) We need to put up some barriers to preserve our sanity.
Very moving and I love the skylarks in Kyiv. Yes, we wake up to Spring but others do not. Very moving contrast in these worrying times.
The contrasts in this “new normalcy” are perfectly stated in this wonderful haibun.
May the day come soon when there are no explosions for Ukrainians and the many others.