For Kyiv

For Kyiv

Ryan Keating

A yellow button hangs by a thread
On a blue coat generously cut

Flowers in the field bow their heads
Without a sun to look on in the dark

Tunnels hold mourners singing hymns
Of victory in harmony buried

Children clutch puppies lost together
In chaotic streets black and evil gray

Suits and green uniforms cast lots
For garments and destiny soiled

Silver pieces scrape a flinty hand
As betrayal cocks greasy steel cold

Nights hide the spread of encroaching ice
Where nightingale songs are growing loud

Cries of passion like pain pierce chests 
On the squares of a city embroidered

Badges and emblems rally in blood
From nations and new friends holding fast

The trident stands now a symbol
Of resolve against tyranny corrupt

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Ryan Keating
Poet & Pastor

Ryan Keating is a pastor, teacher, winemaker, and coffee roaster living in Cyprus. His writing has appeared in publications such as Christian Century, Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Öncül, and Miras Dergi, where he is a regular contributor in English and Turkish.

Photography by Skylar Kang