A nine-year-old skips
along the centre line
of an abandoned street
imagination empowered
by sunshine blue skies
Till the low rumble
of aircraft startles her
and she runs for cover
praying to an absent God
to take her now, young
heart too bruised to carry on.
A fifteen-year-old huddles
in a dank underground corner
already violated by a war
she did not ask for,
shamed by her body’s betrayal
praying for a death more forgiving
A mother holds her baby close
tremors such an indelible part of life now
grasps for a God she once believed in
sees the vacancy in adolescent eyes
the joylessness of her weeping child
prays for a way out of this hell.
One Woman's Quest 
How terrifying the world must be to these innocents. Your poem offers support and brings the child and mother element to this war thrust upon them. Thank you for reminding me that these families are living this pain.
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The innocents are often forgotten in war talk. It is such a crime. Thanks LuAnne
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devastation and furry penned so well VJ! 💔
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😊
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💗
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Very emotional and powerful poem. I’m praying for world peace.
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Me too! Thanks
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Such a terrible time in our world. Thanks for sharing this idea. Anita
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Thanks Anita
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This is a very powerful poem, VJ. The fact that no one or nothing has put a stop to this madman’s destruction of human lives is getting very hard to fathom. The belief instilled in me at a young age that Right Reason and Good Sense would prevail in the end turned out to be false.
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It is beyond comprehension, Liz.
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It is.
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Sad and powerful. Ukraine, you are in our hearts. Oh, but for a quick end to the madness!
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Sadly it will take years to repair the damage. Thanks
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Thank you for sharing this touching poem, VJ. An excellent portrayal of the ravages of war. Thanks also for the work you do with refugees. It would be difficult to be so close to that pain and to hear firsthand some of those stories. Take care. – Lori
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Thanks Lori. The fallout of war does get heavy at times.
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It’s a dark cloud inside our souls. (K)
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Yes. Well said.
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Humanity knows better, yet…
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…and yet…sigh
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The Times We’re In, eh?
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You’d think we’d knew better, but apparently the civilized world remains out of reach….
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so beautiful and very touching! This war is so awful isnt it?
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It’s horrible. As I’ve been working with those fleeing, I see the damage on a personal level
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Cool, you were working with the people that are fleeing the war, that’s really good, but it’s really rewarding to xx
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Very rewarding!
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