I am war weary
And I am far away
From bombs and bullets and burning buildings
BBC bulletins keep me apprised
But I don’t want to know
How a young child dies
I don’t turn away
Not completely
I must stay and watch while others suffer
Like Mary at the cross with John
It is a duty of love to stand and look on
Helpless to help
Hoping it will soon be over
And life can carry on
If that is what we do
I saw the moon last night
Bright over my head
And this morning in the paper
Bright over Ukraine dead
All fighting is wearisome
Draining energy of life clean out of us
And I think of unhappy homes
Unhappy people
Forever at each other’s throats
Draining out the life
And making children cry
Brian Fahy
18 March 2022
Erris Poetry 