Poets Respond to War in Ukraine

            ~ I believe in the power of poetry to move us to compassion and action. ~ 

Greeting you this holiday season....

Yesterday, while making year-end charitable contributions, I faced a challenge: where to send money for Ukraine? I want the funds immediately to reach people in the midst of that war, but scams abound.  And super-sized organizations already have fund-raising machines that both cost and generate a boatload of money. ***January Update: Our due diligence regarding Ukraine TrustChain [refers to the human network of trust, not block chain technology] resulted in a significant donation on our part, and from many of you. Here is a link to their latest newsletter. See more commentary following the poem.***

And then today I received my daily-poem email from Rattle, which I now share with you as part of this holiday message because, as I state at the top of this post, I truly believe in the power of poetry to move us to compassion and action. Please visit Rattle for the full December 25, 2022 post from which this message is shared. I am posting it here with full credit to them and gratitude for their publication of this poem.

It's my hope that 2023 find its way to a healthier, more peaceful world. Here’s to Poetry. Here’s to Ukraine. Here’s to you, dear ones. Shalom.

With love, Andi*

www.rattle.com

THE UKRAINIAN FLAG STARES THROUGH THE BALSAM FIR FROM LARRY’S TREES 

 Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach

just take it he said & I doubted

generosity are you sure? still $30 short

I’ve learned nothing is free

in this country his

white mustache curled

to a smile I’m Larry & this

is the south & these are my trees 

how easy to claim what soil gives 

to own trees & bodies 

to give them away to strangers 

so my children can hang 

the shatterproof ornaments & ask for more 

light while in Ukraine 

the bulbs won’t spark the heat

won’t radiate the soil will stay 

snow-covered & theirs & 

in my house strings & strings 

of electric rainbow dazzle 

trail the evergreen & walls & wind 

my children’s small limbs 

here in Arkansas it’s barely cold 

enough to light a fire 

but we can & do with oak 

& crabapple we home 

its added glow so everything 

smells of invited smoke & pine 

not invaded smoking sky where 

the windows flicker with candlelight 

& shellings & tomorrow 

I will bake gingerbread & fry latkes 

& light the candles 

forbidden in my Soviet childhood 

tomorrow I will pray 

to a god I don’t believe in 

for more miracle tomorrow 

I will still have been born 

from darkness & wick & tonight 

when I lift my daughter 

to place the silver star on the highest branch 

& my American mother— 

in-law takes a photo 

the only light will be the yellow— 

blue horizon of the flag 

frozen in the window behind us 

—from Poets Respond

The Poet’s Comment

“The missiles continue to fall on Ukraine. Millions lose power and heat and even water. It is well below freezing all across the country. On Christmas Eve, when many families in the US and around the world gather around a tree decorated by hundreds of lights, in my birthplace, Ukraine, this day will mark ten months of brutal, full-scale war. It is too easy to grow used to the barrage of terrible news, too easy to forget that during this time of celebration, suffering continues. If you are able, consider contributing to an aid organization that helps those who are in Ukraine and refugees trying to flee. I recommend Ukraine TrustChain, an all volunteer-run nonprofit started by Ukrainian immigrants in the US, they work with local volunteers on the ground, going directly into areas hard to reach by larger international organizations. TrustChain provides urgent food, medical supplies, and transportation to safer regions.” (web)             Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach

*Andi's Disclaimer

Please do your own research if you are interested in either Ukraine TrustChain or Rattle. I am not endorsing sites or soliciting funds!! Just sharing my own commitment to poetry and to Ukraine at a time when the global community struggles to find “Peace on Earth” in any measure. 

Perhaps through our individual actions, we can collectively offer peace and human-to-human “Goodwill” as this difficult year comes to an end. Maybe next year we will be able to say with certainty, "A Great Miracle Happened Here."  Amen.