This is the air where the flowers grow,

This is the air that has nourished life.

This is the same air that is shared,

That is breathed in by countless lungs.

By forests of trees and algae,

By so many wonderful species.

But this is also the air that is filled with smoke,

From volleys of shells that are falling down.

That is breathed in gasps by dying soldiers,

That is breathed in despair by trapped civilians.

This is the air that has to part way…

For the bullets and rockets fired this way.

This is the air that all children breathe,

All mothers and fathers on every side.

This is the air that holds the pains of war,

As people suffer there, we are suffering here.

This is the air that flows around the wounded,

The air that is disturbed by the screams of anguish.

This is the air of the monsters of war,

This is the air of those who despair.

This is the air of the fleeing refugees,

Seeking a quiet and safe space…

Somewhere they can comfortably breathe.

This is the air of the refugee camps,

Of the armies of kind helpers,

And displaced mothers and children…

Who had to leave their loved ones behind,

Places and memories that they hold dear.

This is the same air of people who care,

The same air of brothers and sisters,

The same air where fresh tears flow,

Where distant hearts bleed,

And our pain overflows.

But this is the same air…

The same air that we all breathe,

The same air that nature has given us,

To nourish and sustain our body,

To heal our spirits and stand again.

And this is the air…

Where people have welcomed us,

This is the air where others try to shield us,

To comfort our pains,

To let us hold our suffering…

In a safe space away,

From the theatres of war,

From the place of violence,

From brutality and death.

A place where leaders of war -

Should stop and ask themselves…

What is all this violence… really for?

They are the ones on fire… civilians reflect,

They are the ones with big egos… civilians object.

They are the ones with the military might,

And we are the ones caught in this terrible fight.

Waging war on civilians is such a nasty thing!

So many lives are lost — so heart-breaking!

Just another pointless war in the end…

Filled with mountains of bodies in unmarked graves.

It was a misunderstanding, a childhood fear,

A dark paranoia, a mad ego-trip.

— Luan Dinh

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