Ukraine Russia War - Restore The Peace Poem by Bernedita Rosinha Pinto

A war does not make a president feel sympathy
he has a job on his hands to defend his country
his patriotism makes him more of a President
it is the people who suffer the consequences of a war;

there is no end to cruelty in a war
someone is shooting, the other is dying
soldiers as enemies keep shooting innocent people,
these soldiers are forced to run and shoot
they themselves die in cross-fire
they are also someone's sons and fathers
they are also someone's brothers and husbands
and as they shoot their gunshots kill other's sons
and fathers, brothers and husbands;

then there are those bombs that kill thousands of people
the missiles target and destroy so many apartments;
people turn homeless and some suffer injuries
some just die and go, leaving others in sorrow and awe;
the anger aggravates, the vengeance escalates.

I have seen what a war looks like

I have seen with my bare own eyes people fleeing
their countries in pursuit of safety and survival;

I have heard refugees knocking at my door
in the dead of the night asking for shelter;

I have seen airports crowded with people waiting
to catch a flight to get away from danger;

I have seen missiles flying in the air;
it was during the time when Kuwait was invaded by Iraq;
I was there working in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia
as Teacher in a school in Ras Tanura;

I have heard bombs exploding in the vicinity
I have been close to the falling bombs
when I took shelter for a night in Riyadh,
I was lucky to escape death;
we were running away to Najran
to escape any bombs that could fall over us;

I have seen soldiers marching in thousands
I have seen how involved they are in their dedication
they walked with guns on their shoulders
the desert sand was not their concern
they were so agile and walking hurriedly
to get on a truck that would take them to the border
where they had duty to combat the army
on the other side and keep away the Iraqis.

I can therefore imagine the plight of Ukraine
and the tribulations of the people out there;
the war in Ukraine is so big
and has lasted for so many months;
it makes me weep to think of their sufferings;

What is war worth if it causes loss of life and homes?
is it not better to give in and surrender
is it not better to agree to some compromise
and let people live in harmony
or is is it worth being rigid
and making a whole country suffer
with no food, no shelter, no homes, no unity
to share and hold as days move on?

I have seen what a war looks like
I have seen what panic feels like
and I can imagine the pathetic and helpless plight
of the Ukrainian people as they confront the war;

it has been months their situation is not changing
and it will be winter once more out there;

how will the people combat the cold weather
and terror together
when shattered are their hearts and homes,
their hopes and anticipations of peace?
so restore their peace, restore their dreams;

I have seen what a small war looks like
I have seen what panic feels like when a war is big
as big as Ukraine's disastrous war.....