Why is everything wrong? It all looks as it should, And the sky looks the same, but I’m baffled. Same old water and air, and the usual wood, But he failed to come back from the battle. It’s too late to decide who was going to win In our arguments we never settled. Only now have I started to truly miss him, When he failed to come back from the battle. He was silent at times, he would sing out of tune, He would often change themes of his prattle. Always up before dawn, always leaving too soon, Now he failed to come back from the battle. It feels empty inside and it’s tough to explain, I just noticed a path we both traveled. But it felt like a wind had extinguished the flame, When he failed to come back from the battle. Spring is bursting again, pushing winter off track, So today, out of habit, I babbled: "Are we sharing a smoke?" Only silence came back, For he failed to come back from the battle. In the time of distress, those who’re dead will not leave, Fallen friends will protect us like wardens. In the forest the sky now reflects in the leaves, And cerulean trees stand like curtains. We had plenty of room in the foxhole for two, For us both life events would unravel. Now it’s only myself, but I came to this view: It was me who I lost in the battle.
© Kirill Tolmachev. Translation, 2021