The time draws near,
as opportunity knocks,
only until the door closes with a tear
for every soulful look.
Those who remain
in the basement of this shul,
will wait out the battle, constrained,
as the siege in the city fails to improve.
This congregation, now divided,
between Kharkov and Dnipro,
where several dozen from the kehillah have fled,
will survive with G-d’s berachah.
Blessings, descending from heaven,
more potent than bombs and missiles,
will sustain them until they can ascend
and mend the fissures in their lives.
Those who have already taken flight,
and reached the border’s protection,
hope to see their final destination in sight –
a foreshadowing of the final redemption.
The Tree of Life 