The most and least

Dec 6

-for Ukraine 2022

For the mother in a subway tunnel

Trapped in the dark

Clutching her children’s hands

Whispering words of comfort while waiting

For the family with suitcases in tow

Now refugees headed down a long road

Fleeing to the border

Their destiny uncertain

For the twenty-year-old holding a weapon

He has not been trained to fire

But ready to defend his country

And the freedom he has known

For the aged couple with heads hung low

Remembering too well

The brutality of past wars

Incredulous that they’re once again facing war

I will pray

It’s the most and the least I can do

I will fall to my knees for them

Fold my hands and pray for mercy

*2023 Brave as Thistles, Lauri Cruver Cherian

Lauri Cruver Cherian is a poet and an author from the Pacific Northwest.

ORCAS