A prayer for the children of Ukraine



I cannot now remember when the rockets did not fall,
When soldiers did not walk the streets, and mama did not cry
When trees were green, not blackened, and the buildings still stood tall
I can’t recall those golden days, no matter how I try.

But Mama says there was a time we did not live in fear
A time we were not hungry, and our dad came home at night
We ran, we laughed, we played in parks, no danger hovered near
That seems a fairy tale to me, since outside all is blight.

Oh God, my Mama still says you are watching o’er Ukraine
Even while the tanks and guns still rumble in my street
I know that I must give to you my sadness and my pain
Please teach me how to do this thing, that seems too great a feat

The days that were, will come again, the laughter and the song
Oh Lord make haste to bring your peace and help us end this wrong.

About this poem

I wrote this after seeing the destruction in Ukraine

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Written on May 21, 2022

Submitted by jchslaton on May 21, 2022

Modified on April 30, 2023

52 sec read
49

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 847
Words 176
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 2

Jonathan Slaton

Jonathan Slaton, a retired IT nerd who dabbles in poetry. more…

All Jonathan Slaton poems | Jonathan Slaton Books

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1 Comment
  • lovingempath
    Such a true heart-wrenching message Jonathan! You are truly a masterful poet! Bravo!
    LikeReply12 months ago

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"A prayer for the children of Ukraine" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/129038/a-prayer-for-the-children-of-ukraine>.

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