I Am Not You - Poem For Ukraine Poem by Bernedita Rosinha Pinto

I am not you to cry in the dark
and let my tears glide on my pillow
when my nightmares have become daydreams
and my daydreams have become nightmares
watching Ukraine getting destroyed every day
and innocent people getting killed in many numbers.

I am not you to keep my mouth shut
and watch a war dismantle the peace and order
of Ukrainian people and their community
as so many apartments are set on fire
when missiles strike them
and so many people keep getting injured
or face death when they least expect it.

I am not you not to speak aloud
and make no one hear my voice of concern
when there is no hope for the injured
to reach a hospital and get medical attention
as there is no respite from the gunshots
nor the bombs that keep falling time and again
and life keeps perishing without
any just reason or dignity.

I am not you to close my eyes
and not to think of those neighborhoods
that are getting blown apart by the bombs
while the war keeps escalating and invading
more cities and towns
where in the evenings of life
the Ukrainians would usually sit together
and socially share cups of black coffee
while the same streets now look like graveyards.

I am not you to jump in the sea
and drown in the oceans of ignorance
or accept the waves of turmoil and hatred
as the war has kept continuing for days
without any mercy or compassion
and all those streets and cities
which are abandoned and isolated
now look like burnt matchboxes.

I am not you to climb up a mountain
and pull the sun down
and ask the night to rush in
to cover my worries and anxieties
so that I can sleep peacefully
but in the depth of the night
I wake up visualizing the plight
of the Ukrainians who are still fighting
and of their families
who have fled as refugees
not knowing what will be their future.

I am not you to watch the bullets pierce
in the chests or the backs of people
or see the bombs exploding on their buildings
killing and injuring thousands of Ukrainians
that for months the world keeps watching
the helplessness
when humanity is prime duty
and death without just reason
is crime and an unforgivable sin.

I am not you to forget my faith
and adhere to overlook the sufferings
of those who have stayed back to fight
for their country with loyalty
while they miss their families and children
who had to flee to safety
thus casting unity asunder
when no place is more loving
than a mother's heart
and no place is more comfortable
than one's own home.

Yes, I am not you to cry in the dark
and let my tears glide on my pillow;
I am me who wants to speak and shout,
scream and tell the world to help humanity
so that the war ceases in Ukraine
and under a bright sunrise
their country wakes up with valuable peace
and no more of agony.