“Late February, Lviv” by Ihor Pidhainy

Photo Credit: Darya Tryfanava

She circles her camera about

the streets of an archaic city,

Lemberg once in name long ago,

but now Lviv (no, never Lvov)

and she marches

boot heel click

while the ancient church bells

ring out Ash Wednesday.

In her graven words

a clear phrase is formed:

Eighteen hours.

Eighteen hours

No power, no water, no heat.

This holds a line of permanence

like a sword piercing my breast,

or candelabra shaking off cobwebs

while an incandescent, inconstant flame

whirls in the stark darkness of your icy room.

Artist Statement

My poetry and other creative writing are a means of understanding the world about me. Important in this is my abiding connection to my Ukrainian heritage. In this poem, drawn from many on the Russian war against Ukraine, I try to share my understanding of the conflict and the suffering of the peoples of Ukraine, and to encourage readers to consider it as well.

Born in Canada of Ukrainian heritage, Ihor Pidhainy lives and works in the American South. His poetry has appeared in Washington Square Press, The Louisville Review, Mid-Atlantic Review, The Penmen Review, and In Parentheses. He published his first chapbook, Meditations on Fathers and Sons, with Bottlecap Press, 2025. Follow him on Instagram @ pidhainyihor, on Bluesky @ ipidhainy, and on Linktree @songsandstories2065.