As the tanks roll into the cities,
blue and yellow flags are waved high,
in defiance of the occupier’s atrocities,
while many finally flee with a sigh.
As the drama continues to unfold,
within the layers of recent history,
the territorial defenses stand bold
in the face of the assault and misery.
Echoes of past flights from death,
and narrow evasions of an untimely fate,
are interwoven with our every breath,
and surface in our own memories of late.
Our brothers and sisters who have fled
to the checkpoints, are now able to impart
a message of hope, despite all who have bled
silent tears within the confines of their heart.
Having travelled through many regions,
lives are reshaped, homes found for new arrivals,
across the boundaries of neighboring nations,
that were in flux, during past upheavals.
The Tree of Life 