Bodies were lying for weeks in the streets.
We couldn’t bury dead people.
We tried not to watch them.
It was more important to save our minds.
Burying the dead equalled being killed.
The shelling was non-stop.
We all stayed in the basement.
We cooked food on a fire.
We lived off what we could find in the gardens.
When the food got low we decided to leave.
Everyone brought everything they had.
We all shared everything.
It helped us not to lose hope.
We waited for weeks for the weather to improve.
Today was the first nice day in May!
I watched my wife pull out every Lilly.
Now there is room for roses.
We tried to find new homes for the lilies.
We couldn’t just let them all die.
The work was nonstop.
We found the chicken wire in the basement.
We cut new poles.
We planted peas and beans.
One of the gardens is a shared garden.
The garlic is doing well as always.
We hope they deliver the compost soon.
………..
First reality is based on a BBC News report, “We tried not to watch” by By Sophie Williams and Olga Pona.