Portside

In

Ukraine

By Beau Beausoleil

I can write

with clarity

about what

I cannot see

in front of

me

except for

the war in

Ukraine

which I

can only

outline

in rage and

sorrow

And to those

dying today

by a bullet 

shell or

missile

I can only

try to

write myself

there on paper

 and lie down

in your

fallen shadows

Hoping in

some way

to see not just

your death

but the life

behind it

with clarity

Beau Beausoleil is a poet and activist (Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here) based in San Francisco, California. His most recent book of poetry is, Another Way Home (Blue Light Press 2022). His poems addressing the war in Ukraine can be found here https://movingpartspress.com/publications/in-ukraine-poems