Madalsa Zuivere: Fifteen Miles Away

Well perhaps I shall write something fifteen miles away from the war ground
Perhaps I should lift my pen
And perhaps I should make a start
To write a poem fifteen miles away from Ukraine into Romania
But alas I can’t
And I will not
For poetry cannot stand the disharmony surrounding it
It cannot sound harmonious without harmony grounding it 
Thus, no wonder that my plain verse does not rhyme
Thus, no wonder that I cannot bother to find the time
To pen down a complete verse well-tuned and intertwined with rhythm 
Thus, no wonder that today has turned into yesterday and yesterday into tomorrow 
Thus, no wonder that the cherry spirits are now filled with unlimited sorrow
If you want, you may borrow the sorrow
It is pain that runs like a river forever
Endeavour to fade it but it shall never
Fall from itself- to drain its pain
The clouds always come and go and bring rain
And thus, salty the water shall taste
Even fifteen miles away from Ukraine 

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_{A grade 10 student in Geelong Australia, teenager Madalsa Zuivere is a budding writer. Her debut poetry collection ‘Get Lost Dirty Covid-19’ won Indie Reader Discovery Award in 2021. Her works was published in Indian Anthology ‘You are not alone’. She is a regular contributor to her school magazine.  She is the recipient of inaugural The Claire Jones Book Prize of her school. http://madalsa-zuivere.com/}