On every screen we see
the smoke climbing
reaching for the pity of Christ
and we realize
they dress their babies
just like Americans
their children have the same
expressions of uncomprehending
fear, the same shine
reflecting the pastures of Heaven
in their Ukrainian eyes
and is this some kind of trick?
I watch news in small doses
because plague time
has compressed my life as well
and my dull eyes fill with tears
because this is pure evil
and someday a screaming
may come across the sky for all of us.
J. Kyle Kimberlin
Creative Commons Licensed
I made a few new year’s resolutions, which aren’t going well so far. I intended to focus on every good opportunity to shut the f–k up and stop giving unsolicited advice, to stop sharing opinions about choices or situations outside my own responsibility and control, and to write positive, grateful, hopefully uplifting poems. I’m still taking when nobody – least of all me – wants to hear me, still opining about things that are up to others from my family to global psychotic dementors like Voldemort Pootin’, and here’s another dark sad poem.
It’s not my fault. I would have been more than happy to write an ode to the wind clouds hovering over the coastal range this morning, and I’m not the demonpuke bombing innocent, defenseless people. Art has to meet the world where it is and tell the truth.
I would have been happy. I’m not sure I can see an opening in the funhouse mirrors of protracted chaos to find the exit to happy tonight but I can close my eyes and find reasons for gratitude. That’s something; in fact, it’s a lot. I’ll take it, gratefully, and hold fast to hope for the survivors of the massacre in Ukraine. Maybe they can use our hope more than our sadness and faith more than anger.
Peace.
Metaphor 
Thank you both for your comments!
The wider premise of the extracted statement “Beauty will save the world,” and JPII’s Letter to Artists are important reads.
You are an artist, and there is beauty in you — and through you, to others.
(Amen, peace).
I’m rooting for the Ukrainians. The name I will not mention thought it would be easy to sweep through and capture the capital Kiev. They haven’t even captured one major city, and aren’t making much progress. Great to see democratic countries uniting to send the brave Ukrainian soldiers Stingers to shoot down Russian jets, and Javelins to blow up their tanks. Even that is sad to see Russian troops die, as many of them don’t want to fight or have been brainwashed with propaganda. I’m praying it ends soon. I proudly display a flag I bought at the Flag Factory on 6th Street in Carpinteria. They sell Ukrainian flags in all sizes from large ones, to ones you can put on your car, to small ones on sticks.