Why I Cry



I wake up warm in a nice soft bed,
With a solid shelter above my head.
My pantry is stocked with all that I need.
I have water to drink and books to read.

I can walk freely in air that is pure,
Breathing in deeply as I watch the deer.
As mountain and stream greet my glad eye,
I’m blessed with beauty of both earth and sky.

I live my life doing just as I please,
But when watching the world, I feel unease.
For not all the people are as blessed as me
For the greed of a few will not let it be.

War rages and robs, wounds, and deprives
Ordinary people of their homes and their lives.
Their freedom is gone, and lives taken too,
Thirsting and starving, there's nothing they can do.

I wish I could give them my warm, soft bed,
A protecting shelter to cover their head,
Share my bountiful fresh food and water,
Restore to life each dead son and daughter.

I feel so helpless and that’s why I cry.
At the injustice, I want to yell, “Why?”
I’m also aware that my home and more
Will feel the effects of this unholy war.

Countries all over the world are impacted,
While laws here at home are being enacted,
So, whether the aggressor and his champions have won,
The assault on my freedom has already begun.

In this world we are all of us sister and brother
War, when it’s heaped on our father and mother,
Is not only happening far, far away,
But marching with vengeance toward my door today.  

About this poem

This poem came to me as an expression of my deep concern and compassion for the Ukrainian people and the world.

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Written on March 19, 2022

Submitted by janet_1 on May 10, 2022

Modified on May 03, 2023

1:31 min read
377

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAXA XXBB CCDD EEFF AAGG BBHH XXII GGJJ
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,423
Words 303
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Janet Muirhead Hill

Janet Muirhead Hill is a novelist who occasionally writes poetry for fun and for self-expression. Her published books include the Miranda and Starlight series of horse stories for middle-grade readers and other fiction. more…

All Janet Muirhead Hill poems | Janet Muirhead Hill Books

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Discuss the poem Why I Cry with the community...

2 Comments
  • icanovic.sumeja
    Nice way of expressing
    LikeReply21 days ago
  • twinzmom15
    It explains how things feel right now.
    LikeReply2 years ago

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"Why I Cry" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 Nov. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/129516/why-i-cry>.

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