A peace demonstration

I was visiting my cousin in Kraków, Poland. Currently, two Ukrainian women are living with her and her boyfriend in the flat. Peace demonstrations take place daily in the market square in Kraków. Also on the evening of Easter Sunday, whilst the younger of the two Ukrainian women and I walked together across the market square. There, several different people stood scattered around a large statue. They carried signs and waved Ukrainian and Polish flags. A large crowd had formed in front of them. Not onlookers, not tourists — for the most part they were people who appeared desperate. Desperate because it affected them directly. We stopped. For half an hour. A very intense half hour. Speeches were given, which unfortunately I did not understand, but I felt the mood behind them. A young woman, probably barely older than I am, sang two Ukrainian, extremely emotional songs with an incredibly beautiful voice that was also suffused with pain. Tears flowed beside me. I too was so torn inside that I was on the verge of simply weeping. There I stood. Surrounded by deeply unhappy and desperate people who desired nothing more than to be able to return to a peaceful and familiar home. A home that would never be the same as before. The people did not express themselves in any way in favour of Ukraine's victory in this war. They wished with all their hearts for peace.