sandbags

by Dario Cvencek

I grew up on the streets

concrete was my element

I was a city boy growing up

among the buildings and

parking lots concrete was

everywhere

there was no sand to play with

except for the grass fields in the

city park there was no surface

that was NOT concrete

our playgrounds were concrete

our soccer fields were concrete

we biked on concrete paths and

we threw rocks at each other

as if they were pocket change

that the best man throws

in a wedding ceremony

sand was something you’d

only see on summer vacations

this exotic “toy” that you only

got to play with for a limited time

so building sand towers was

always a very

serious affair

when the war started

a truck arrived

and delivered sandbags

throughout the neighborhood

the whole building got to work

all of us kids were helping out

stacking those sandbags into

small towers one bag upon the other

securing the basement windows and

glass surfaces on the lower floors

it was magical to play with sand like that

to build forts ACTUAL forts

and each time after heavy bombardment

when there was a short ceasefire

we’d run out of the shelter to get this and that

from our apartments and check in on relatives

we would always glance at the sandbag towers

and checked on them too

how they were holding up

and we were glad to see

that they still stood

even the ones

ripped by shrapnel

the overall structure still held

we were pleased with our work

and at least for a moment

we had something

to be proud of

there was no school

to go to

there were no soccer games

to be played

so we learned to appreciate

the rare moments when

we could be a part of

something meaningful

children in war are often

just observers

helping build those sandbag towers

helped us build a sense of agency

it helped us build our self-esteem

and for those of us who

survived the war

it helped us move on

because deep inside

we all knew that

we were capable of

building something

that even grenades

could not

tear down

Photo of Dario Cvencek

BIO: Dario Cvencek is an immigrant poet from the Balkans. He started writing poetry in high school, inspired by his growing up during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, and his subsequent experiences as a refugee of war and an immigrant in Germany and the United States. In his poems, he explores the themes of war, trauma, healing, identity, gun violence, immigration, nature, and love. His work has appeared in Rising Phoenix Review, Ambrosia Zine, Gnashing Teeth Publishing, Ancient Tech News, Beyond Words Magazine, ANARKISS Magazine, The Split Mind, and others. “PTSD Martini” (Carbonation Press, 2025) is his first full-length collection of poetry. He lives and works in Seattle, WA.