HappyPlace

 By Tatiana Kulikova

They say my oblast' looks like a bird

If you look from above

And if it does

Then

My father's village is on the tip of this bird's wing

The last little feather

Before it flies

To U

My father says he did fly to U with my mother,

Back when they were in love,

And maybe me

Inside

His memories blur when it comes to remembering her

And now we can't fly there any more

Nor can we walk

But I counted steps

On Google maps

From me – to the cemetery

From his homeland – to the border