My only resolution for 2022 is to learn how to write short (8 lines or so) free-verse poems.  I am taking an online course on this topic. This is my first “poem”.  Hope you like it.  The context is the unprovoked attack on Ukraine by Russia.

Am I dreaming?
It must be
It can’t be real
It is so surreal

Dreams are not …
Nightmares are

Empty shells now –
Broken, hollow
Devoid of form
Once full of life

Littered streets
Bodies everywhere
Putrid smell
Solace, nowhere

Men’s cruelty,
Boundless
Proclivity to war,
Timeless

Is war the only answer?
Dare I ask
Who are you?
Devil with a mask?

Why not talk?
Is talk for sissies?

Then I wake up
Excruciating headache
Dare I ask?
What is better – nightmare or headache?
Dare I ask?
Dare I ask?