Abby Zimet: It Was Dark. It Was Loud. It Was Hard For Many.
In America, where the dark and crazy remain strong, we choose to begin the year taking solace and inspiration from President Zelensky…
Michael T. Young: The Spoils of War
A little girl grips the one toy she was
allowed to carry away through crowds
stumbling together from their homes.
Abby Zimet: Ukraine’s Battle of the Somme
Putin’s bloody debacle in Ukraine reflects a system “in which medievalism meets Stalinism meets dark farce.”
Benjamin Jensen: Ukraine’s rapid advance against Russia shows mastery of 3 essential skills for success in modern warfare
Ukrainian forces, aided by Western firepower, have upset traditional military logic once again.
Eleftheria Kousta: ‘A flame was lit in our hearts’ — How Ukrainians are building online networks for resistance and mutual aid
Many Ukrainians facing the brutal realities of war — both within the country and in other parts of the world — found themselves forced into action, some with little more than the drive to help and an internet connection.
Arlene Weiner: Dead Russian Soldier
My father lived in the land
where your son lies unburied,
now wasted by fire once again,
my kin were slaughtered there,
interred unhonored.
Stephen R. Shalom and Dan La Botz: Ukraine and the Peace Movement
It is urgent to end the war in Ukraine. But to achieve this goal, “Russia Out Now” is a better slogan than “Diplomacy Now.”
Linda Nemec Foster: Sean Penn Leaves Ukraine for Safety in Poland
Once, I visited a cemetery there, on the border between Poland
and Ukraine. Stark and beautiful. Green and calm. No dead
man walking there. Not even ghosts. Only the long lines
of graves and rusting crucifixes nailed to trees.
Kathryn Levy: At the End of the World
she keeps washing the dishes—they
have to be clean for the
dinners of tomorrow—
and watching explosions
in some distant country
Erica Etelson: In order to transcend Trumpism, we must tend to suffering — not celebrate it
Our survival as a species depends on our ability to turn away from the delusion of sweet revenge, and show compassion for those we may dislike or detest.
Carolyn Miller: By the Time
By the time the light reaches us, empty
sunflower fields are pitted with more craters.
Rajan Menon: The Economic Consequences of the War
The conflict in Ukraine Is a disaster for the poor of this planet.
Bunkong Tuon: Two Poems
I wake up overwhelmed
with love. Time slows.
I hear each beating of
the wings on a hummingbird.
Vox Populi 