Verses Across a Lifetime: Poetry as a Bridge

For Mark, poetry has been a lifelong companion—one that has carried him through the joys and challenges of life.

Mark’s passion for poetry began early, during his school days in Ukraine, and continued after the war.

“Poetry gave me a way to cope and express what I was feeling,” he shares.

During the post war years, he worked in the USSR aviation industry; while that professional chapter has closed, his verses continue to reflect the broad arc of his life’s journey.

Today, living in Canada, Mark continues to use poetry as a creative outlet and a source of comfort and connection.

“I enjoy writing freestyle, whatever is on my mind,” Mark says. “Even everyday things can be inspiring.”

Mark draws inspiration from renowned poets and cultural icons such as Vladimir Vysotsky, a Soviet singer-songwriter, actor & poet—whom Mark had the chance to meet—as well as poet Andrey Dementiev and writer Viktor Shenderovich. But Mark’s poetic voice is uniquely his own: unstructured, deeply personal, and rooted in lived experience.

“I don’t follow any particular style,” he explains. “I write about my life, my memories, and what I observe around me.”

Mark had some of his poems published in newspapers and books—an achievement he speaks of with pride.

Today, poetry also serves as a bridge between Mark and his community. He is a proud and regular participant in Café Europa, offered by Jewish Family and Child Service (JFCS), and the Let’s Get Together social group at Circle of Care. At these gatherings, Mark often brings his cherished collection of poems, sharing them with fellow attendees.

“I enjoy coming and reading my poems. People have said kind things about them,” he says. “It’s meaningful to be able to share a part of myself.”

For Mark, these programs are about more than just socializing—they are lifelines.

“The Let’s Get Together group helps me stay connected. Otherwise, I’d be quite isolated,” he says candidly. “It gives me a reason to get dressed, to go outside, to meet new people and stay in touch with others. I really value that.”

Across the many chapters of Mark’s life—from his youth in Ukraine to his years in the Soviet Union and now in Canada—one thread remains constant: his resilience, and his poetry. His writing has always been more than a creative outlet; it’s a way of staying connected—to himself, to others, and to the world around him. His poems echo his journey, offering a quiet reflection of a life lived across borders and through time.