Dear Daddy, please board not that bustling train, that carries you from me, to faraway. If only I could turn the clocks around, To happy times that gush with peace again. We waited for grim war to end, in vain. The summons direly dreaded have arrived. You sigh you must go, leaving me alone, Dear Daddy, please board not that bustling train. Undue these tidings haunt me, causing pain. Can I survive without your cheerful smile? My prayer will protect you, dearest Dad. To happy times that gush with peace again. Dear Daddy, please board not that bustling train, If you embark, please promise you’ll be back, To happy times that gush with peace again.

*** AUTHOR’S NOTE This Villonnet is dedicated to the silent sufferers of war, the children of Ukraine.  The premise is of a father who has to board a train to join the war, while leaving his daughter behind, not knowing when he will see her again.  I wish I could say this is a figment of my imagination, but sadly this is a harsh reality, a daily reality in some warzones.