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Melanie Hawkes started writing in 2019 and enjoys flash fiction and poetry. She also makes art with bottle tops and other found items, and enjoys pyrography (wood burning). She joined the Society of Women Writers Western Australia in 2020 and has been published in their yearly anthologies since. She hopes to write her memoir one day, focussing on what her three assistance dogs have taught her. She lives with her retired dog Upton.
Ukraine
By MELANIE HAWKES
Bullets fire, bombs fall, missiles strike
Horrific images glow on my TV
The Russian army invades Ukraine
Into neighbouring countries they flee
Mothers, fathers, sons and daughters
Their lives will never be the same
World leaders imposed sanctions on Russia
Yet are powerless to stop Putin’s game
Ukrainian men join the army
As their wives and children shelter
Buildings fall, bridges are bombed, many die
Essentials are scarce, like food, heat and water
Worldwide governments send supplies
To fight the Russians out of Ukraine
I watch the news and hope and pray
That peace can be restored again
