An Eyewitness Report Of An Incident At Bucha Poem by Gert Strydom

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From a firing squad a sole survivor
where eight unarmed men were shot dead,
tells that utter fear was to live the driver
where Russians did with them to a backyard head

for the massacre in Jablonska street
in that mass execution he did survive,
they laughed, threw a cigarette near their feet
and he says that he should not be alive.

'What shall we do with them, ' and we said goodbye.
The second said: 'now just finish them off.'
'With a flesh-wound as if dead I did lie,
they laughed and did there in contempt scoff.'

'The bullet caused a small wound through my side,
after they left over the fence I went to hide, '
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'I should not have lived at the place of Apple trees.'
"It began when we joined territorial defence
and now all of their faces he still sees,
with the Russian invasion their was suspense,

of fathers, of sons, of brothers and neighbours
144 Jablonska Street was a place of tranquillity
this was where people did rest from their labours, "
by March 4th they were hiding from the enemy,

were encircled by the Russians, and then led
to 144 Jablonska Street, lined against the wall,
through a window he could see a woman on a bed,
as they were shot the men around him did fall,

he was lying there tried not to breathe
it was very cold, breath was making steam,
he was terrified until they laughing did leave,
it was like a nightmare, a terrible dream:

expecting another shot was very terrifying,
that we all were dead they were not verifying.

[Poet's notes: 144 Jablonska Street,
The street with the Apple trees. A CCTV picture shows them being led over the street to be executed by two Russian soldiers.]
© Gert Strydom