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