by Jeannie E. Roberts
—for Amelia Uzun and the Ukrainian Refugees
The greenery blooms
holds truths
lifts like hands
seeks the light
the prayer plant flowers
as the cyclamen thrives
they shelter in safety
in the luster of peaceful living
A young girl blooms
holds truths
lifts her voice
as if a prayer
the bomb shelter lightens
the gathering listens
the room warms as one
with a song from the film Frozen
A concert hall blooms
holds truths
a young girl lifts her voice
where notes effloresce
ascend in national anthem
as if a prayer
in the light
she sings for the luster
of peaceful living once again
Jeannie E. Roberts has authored seven books, five poetry collections and two illustrated children's books. Her most recent collection As If Labyrinth - Pandemic Inspired Poems was released in 2021 by Kelsay Books. Her poems appear in Panoply, Sky Island Journal, The New Verse News, and elsewhere. She’s an animal lover, a nature enthusiast, a Best of the Net award nominee, and a poetry editor of the online literary magazine Halfway Down the Stairs.