Faye Gibson Poet Villanelle

Ukraine

How can the world hold all this pain,
the vile hurt done to another;
what does mankind expect to gain?

Person to person, just like Cain
who murdered his brother Abel;
how can the world hold all this pain?

Nation at war against nation,
grasping at any cost for more;
what does mankind expect to gain?

Does not history make it plain,
the consequences all endure;
how can the world hold all this pain?

If only we could self-restrain,
living in peace and brotherhood,
what does mankind expect to gain?
	
Today we cry out for Ukraine,
victim of her greedy neighbor,
how can the world hold all this pain;
what does mankind expect to gain?

February 26,  2022
An Original Villanelle Poetry Contest
L. Milton Hankins, Sponsor

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Timothy Ray September 15, 2026 at 2:51 AM an echo of the futility i feel within....great work of your quill, thank you

Bill Baker March 1, 2022 at 11:25 PM Nice Villanelle, Faye. It should do well in the contest. It is insanity by definition: To do something over and over, expecting it to come out different. War, hate, greed, and power are very destructive and insane things to pursue. God help us, Bill