Russia threw a stone into the Ukrainian pond
sending ripples to my doorstep and beyond
Ripples of disbelief, horror, outrage, sorrow
I'll wish it was all a bad dream when I wake up tomorrow
If we don't stop monsters before it's too late
we'll soon have barbarians at the gate
Our myths all tell us we must slay the dragon
but what if that ignites a third world war?
We've seen this all before
And yet the blight of war is already upon us
grimly visible on phone and tablet
Scenes on our screens we can never un-see
recordings we can never forget
Each image binds us to Ukraine in a virtual sense
that fans the flames of our impotence,
inflames our frustration and regret
Here, in my quiet secluded space
far away from that hellish place
I picture Ukrainians in their fields and cities
fighting for their lives
Shattered buildings lying in ruins
Dead bodies lying in the street as grandmothers walk by
holding hankies to their noses
and another poignant chapter closes
I share their ordeal in my mind at least
and bow my saddened head to the east