Ls---ukrainian--gentle--angels-sets-01-13 -

A grandmother shelling peas into a chipped enamel bowl. She gives one to a stray cat under the table. She speaks to it in Ukrainian. The cat blinks slowly. Seventh angel: the one who remembers to be kind when no one is watching.

Outside now. A courtyard with a single linden tree. Two old men play chess on a concrete slab. One has a bandaged hand. No one speaks. The third angel: silence between men who have seen tanks. LS---Ukrainian--Gentle--Angels-Sets-01-13

Night. A candle on a windowsill. A woman writes in a notebook, then closes it. She touches the glass. Outside, a curfew-empty street. Fifth angel: the one who writes down names so no one disappears. A grandmother shelling peas into a chipped enamel bowl

A woman teaching a child to tie shoelaces. She loops, tugs, loops again. The child says, “I can do it.” She lets go. Twelfth angel: the one who teaches flight then opens her hands. The cat blinks slowly

A man repairing a bicycle in a shed. He adjusts the chain, spins the pedal. He looks up at a wasp’s nest in the rafter—does not destroy it. Sixth angel: the one who lets small dangers live.

A teenage girl braiding her younger sister’s hair by a window. The older one hums something unrecognizable. The younger one holds a stuffed rabbit missing an ear. Fourth angel: the one who braids peace into every parting.

A hospital corridor. A nurse adjusts a blanket on an old man. She does not check her watch. She sits two extra minutes. Eighth angel: the one who stays past the shift.