No headstones are placed in mass graves, And widows do not come to weep over them, Instead strangers bring flowers to the tombs, And light an Eternal flame. Before, the earth reared up here, But now - it is covered with granite slabs. In these graves there is not a single personal destiny - Instead all destinies are united in one. And in the Eternal flame one can see a burning tank, Burning Russian homes, Flames over Smolensk and the burning Reichstag, And the burning heart of a soldier. Widows do not come to weep over mass graves, Here we find stronger people. No headstones are placed in mass graves, But does that make it easier?
© David Kotler. Translation, 2021