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Ukraine – The Child
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mama cried
her eyes were swollen
large
in disbelief and despair
we kissed papa goodbye
I knew he didn’t go
to fetch us warm
sweet smelling bread
under the dark red jam
grandma made
“goodbye daddy!”
mom whispered:
“stay alive”
her tears on his cheek
we went with strangers
not knowing where to sleep
and how to keep
warm and safe
I forgot my doll
will a stranger find
my tear
on her cheek
when the world is
dark red
and none will know
how to sleep?
.
Syl©2022-2025
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Soulfluff 
Deeply moving … deeply.
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I saw so much.. I had to write about it. Hugs.
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I really felt this poem, the more so since witnessing a father sobbing as he said goodbye to the small daughter he was sending away to safety. Sigh. Too much heartbreak to be humanly borne.
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It’s what war does. It’s what happened in other wars too ad I can’t understand someone wants to create situations like that.
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This is poignant and breaks the heart as does what is happening there. Thank you Syl for joining in on the writing at the Muse this week.
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Thank you, Carrie, for having me, and visiting me.
Thank you too for bringing us such wonderful images.
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Can’t tear my eyes from the news…
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Nor can I.
Checking, thinking, tears.
My second mother fled from Hungary in the past.
The love of her life landed at the same city and they found each other and had a very happy life. But there were moments of silence and sadness. Seeing her moved me so deep.
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As if written by so many children, victims of wars made by greedy men seeking power. You’ve touched my heart.
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I was only the voice…
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Wrenching.
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So many children going through this… and worse…
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Syl my heart goes out to all of the children, mothers, and fathers who are being torn apart by the attacks. You honor them with your poem.
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Thank you… It’s so sad. People told me the same about WW2. And now it repeats…
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You are welcome. I recently read that the Neanderthals and the Homo-sapiens were at war for 100,000 years! Not easy to hold onto hope for an improved way of conflict resolution sometimes.
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🙂
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Moving, tearful, poem, Syl. We never do learn from history, do we?
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I’m sorry to say: I think we don’t
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