I stumble past former iconic buildings and memorials.
As dust from the ground faintly disperses into the tightened air.
Black smoke rising, billowing, engulfing;
Once a place of hugs, cheers, connection
Now painfully quiet, sorrowful, empty …

It had not always been this way
Memories of swimming in the sea,
A joyous choir of trills overhead,
A myriad of conversation and laughter
As days turned to grey then dark…

Amid the atmosphere of devastation
Stand works of art, both new and old
Derelict, neglected, forgotten
As silent as the deserted streets around it.
For those who desperately remain
A pointless conflict, a petty dispute, no good outcome…

Even those who hold the bombs and bullets
Must realise the stupidity of conflict
And know there is much more to life
But fight anyway. Opportunities neglected by glorified mules,
Treated as pawns, thrown into a coal-fired frothing furnace
In a country named Ukraine, dying for little purpose.

By Jude Williams, 11V