Poetry Expo 25
/ 26 February 2025
Mariupol Madonna: an Elegy for the Mothers of Ukraine
Poetry Expo 25
Jessica Ursell’s Mariupol Madonna is a haunting elegy that captures the devastating reality of war through the intimate lens of motherhood. The poem contrasts the fragile hope of new life with the brutal destruction of war, weaving imagery of growth, tenderness, and resilience against the stark backdrop of violence and loss. Through striking metaphors and raw emotion, Mariupol Madonna honors the strength of mothers in Ukraine, mourning the broken dreams and irreparable scars left by conflict.
Mariupol Madonna
an elegy for the mothers of Ukraine
a family of two
soon to be three
he caresses her
and pulls her close
we’ll have a garden he says
with seeds deep in the earth
the roots will grow
and our fruit will stretch
toward the sun
in time it will flourish
juicy and ripe
she returns his caress with a smile
knowing birthing new life is not so easy
conditions must be right
attention must be paid
to the ambient temperature
soil rich and welcoming
not dried and cracked open with thirst
but she is a mother
and Hope is her maxim
dark now
crows shriek overhead
their shrill squawking
not a harbinger of life
cries crack the night sky
shattering
the frigid ice air
her belly
hard and round and ripe
his caress
now a sharp memory
slashing at her heart
where is he now
she doesn’t know
lying on a stretcher
in a hospital hallway
deep grooves in her face
mirroring scarred pits
furrows in the ravaged ground
shivering
she lies frozen in fear
hands interlaced
across her mound
a pitiful shield
but it’s all she can do
there are no doctors anymore
just icy wind
whipping through the empty corridors
too weak to move
and there’s nowhere to go
wishing she could walk outside and rest
in the soft white snow
but there is no rest
only bursts of red
and billows of black
their world is broken
and there’s no coming back
The project is part of the subtheme Healing Narratives - Poetry, Mental Health and Collective Trauma.
Author
Jessica Ursell
A poet and social justice advocate, Jessica Ursell lives with her husband in the cradle of the Campi Flegrei in Southern Italy. Inspired by the cerulean sea, and strong scent of espresso at her favorite pasticceria, Jessica writes about love, power, finding one's voice, and the mesmeric magic of il bel paese. Her most recent poems are Ricotta Cheese English, published by Mediterranean Poetry in November 2024 and I Can Walk Through Walls of Words, appearing in Academy of the Heart and Mind in December 2024.
Her poems and essays have been published by Writing in a Woman’s Voice; Ritualwell; Down in the Dirt magazine (v. 216 Scars Publications) as well as in the book, The Limits of Language, and the book Where Icarus Went; Fellowship & Fairydust, among others.
