As we approach tomorrow's hideous anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I am prompted to do something I don't usually do by posting a poem of my own.
This also happens to be Freedom to Read Week, so I've been thinking about freedom -- as well as loss thereof, the situation now in far too many countries. Journalists and protesters are being executed in Iran; their colleagues in Russia are disappearing or being sent to prison.
Thankfully, I remain free to write and publish here in Canada. My poem was included in a collection called Poems in Response to Peril. Proceeds of sales of the anthology go to funds in support of Ukraine. And yes, I am hoping for a resolution to the hideous events that continue across the globe.
Finding hope
This morning I am feeding the birds, replenishing
supplies in the little cracked saucer, the one that’s sheltered
on the window ledge all winter again.
I’m filling it with seeds, still tight in their shells,
ones I hope the birds will disperse, carrying them
far and beyond—sunflowers that will rise up
from the broken earth. I am putting my faith
in their sturdy resilience, counting on them to grow tall
and turn their golden faces to the sun.
