This morning, I chanced upon NPR’s report on a website, https://preply.com/en/blog/messages-to-ukraine/, to send messages to the people in Ukraine. It will be translated in whichever language spoken, and displayed on a wall in Warsaw, for Ukrainian refugees…

With this in mind, I offer up my own words:

Unity of Life for Those in Ukraine

Unity of life knows no territorial bounds

connections of heart run deeply within,

souls find each other in calls during the night,

as cries of a mother grieving the death of her child are heard as cries for all humanity.

As calls of a dog struck by shrapnel are felt as projections of hatred eschewed in the mind of power demented

are held by volunteer hands of love and healing.

As cries for grandmothers left behind in homes they will not leave

are heard in the ones able to flee.

Soldiers in sacrifice for a country they call home will be known

for their courage and selfless spirits.

Fathers one day, soldiers the next.

No matter the form of life injured or taken,

no matter the land where theft of joy supercedes,

the will to live is strong, reverberating across the ocean,

traveling through the skies.

We hear you,

we see you.

Your struggles for life

are those of us all.

We will do what we can

we will hear, we will witness.

We will feel and we will call

for the suffering to cease

upon all falling victim.
We hold your hand in love

and gentleness in peace and in healing.

We will send symbols to sustain, of goods and monies and volunteers.

We will send prayers and defenses, from our minds and our governments,

But mostly, we hold your broken hearts deeply within ours

As we watch from afar.