As small children, we played war

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Wooden bow, arrows, and gun,

the knife is near a belt.

Once, our childhood was full of fun.

We ran through the fields

with village neighbors

taking a sword, a painted shield,

without adult worries and labor.

Time has passed,

harsh life befell our fate,

Russian missiles strike

the heart, a cherished pain

I hate.



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 Kaliopa, Reach of the Song 2022, Diogenes for Culture Journal, and many more. “Scars of my heart from the war:Poetry for Ukraine,” and many more. 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 many more. He is a member of the Geer Poetry Group (Wales) and a member of the Federation of Scottish Writers.

NOVUS Literary and
Arts Journal
Lebanon, TN