The dam broke Wednesday and the Dnieper waters poured.
Now Kakhovka reservoir can’t be fished in, anymore.
That Concrete wall rose 98 feet—98 feet from deep to peak!
Then it crashed into a gorge-like cascading sheet.
Look! There go the fishes—next month’s meal.
Look! There go the boats—shattered stern and keel.
Look! There comes Russia!
Look! There comes Ukraine!
Guns blazing, fingers pointing, as life goes down the drain.
Run, People, Run! Run to high ground,
But don’t stumble into that enemy town.
Goodbye to your homes, your cars, and more.
Your lives won’t be lives like they were before
that dam fall and damned it all.
Kakhovka is no longer held by a 98 wall.
About the Poem
Such a tragedy to see a key water source gone so quickly right in the middle of a war. It will take years to recover its lost beauty and resources.
About the Author
Dale Hensarling lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his puppies and Amazon Parrot, where he teaches English and Creative Writing. He holds an MFA in Creative writing from Lindenwood University, and his short stories and poems are published both in writing and online in journals and magazines.