There once was a town called Khabno
in a land still called Ukraine.
My mother lived in Khabno
a very long time ago
when Mom was only eight years old.
Can’t find Khabno on my map.
Renamed Kaganovich for Stalin’s crony born there
when Stalin ruled Soviet Union.
Then the Holocaust.
Our family disappeared.
Khabno’s name changed again
when Stalin died, to what? Who cares?
Then Chernobyl nearby.
Now ghost town,
Wild animals roam there.
No one left for Putin to bomb.
The bittersweet history of Khabno
still lingers in its children
dispersed in many lands.