“He Said He Wants to Return”
He said,
“They are destroying Germany.”
His voice cracked —
not from anger,
but from a grief
too quiet for headlines.
He wanted to return.
To go back
to something older.
To a soil he never saw,
but always felt.
He spoke German —
but it tasted foreign
in his own mouth.
He looked to Russia —
not the state,
but the story
he was told he belonged to.
And when he finally stood
before the man who held that key,
Putin just nodded.
“Let’s stay in touch.”
No warmth.
No promise.
Just a closing door
with velvet words.
The boy had carried
his identity like a broken letter
waiting for an answer.
But home
had nothing left to say.