SERGEANT DARIA FILIPIEVA

by Marguerite G. Bouvard


A Ukrainian army combat medic who
was decorating her new apartment in Kyiv
with pink carpets and fluffy curtains,
now sleeps in the basement of
a building converted into the headquarters
for the Territorial Defense Forces,
muttering to herself during the constant
thud of bombs, the screech of
missiles, remembers sitting in the middle
of the shattered glass of her new
apartment thinking "I will help everyone
I can," during a brief respite, and now
teaches soldiers how to do tourniquets as
she holds her country in her medical kits,
her assault rifles, and her heart, reminding
us that strength lies within ourselves.


* * * * *

Marguerite G. Bouvard is the author of 12 poetry books, two of which have won awards including the MassBook Award for Poetry. She has also written a number of non-fiction books on women's rights, human rights, social justice, grief, and has just finished one, Healthcare Workers on the Frontline of the Pandemic. Her poetry collection The Cosmos of the Heart came out fall 2020. Her latest poetry collection Shades of Meaning came out February 2022.