At the Front
Close now. I think. It’s hard to tell sometimes.
War takes away perspective with its taste
Of danger, its relentless jabs of fear.
Yes, we can see them. Just across the field,
Behind the trees but not quite out range.
Easy prey for our telescopic sights.
They’ll probably never know what hit them;
Two of them are down, the rest run away.
Bloody cowards, just like we wou...
Tuesday 14th June 2022 7:21 am
Splendid Youth
The war is sucking up our splendid youth.
They’re racing to the front; they won’t come back.
Each town and village starts to empty out,
As friends and classmates go on the attack.
They’re fighting for our dignity and state
Of freedom and of happiness pursued,
But consequences, each one plainly knows,
Could be unmentionably vile and rude.
In these now quiet streets the ...
Friday 10th June 2022 7:44 am
Landmines
I wonder if those who lay the mines down
Stay put and wait for victims to approach,
Or, with a surreptitious grin, retreat.
As for the victims, no imagining
The horror of their plight will bring them back.
The miner and mined have done their duty.
In moral terms, they seem so far apart:
One bad, one innocent. But consider.
They are both under orders not to think:
Playthi...
Tuesday 7th June 2022 10:17 pm
A Hundred Days
A hundred days have passed since it began.
So anyone who came of age since then
Will know of nothing but this raging war,
Impardonably thrust into our lives.
Are all attempts to look beyond such days,
Anonymously scribbled on the wall,
A futile antidote to these cruel ways?
Or something sinister which may recall
A game which every canny person plays:
To test how far the ...
Friday 3rd June 2022 7:12 am
Letters
The look on Mum’s face told its own story;
Our dad’s weekly letter had failed to arrive.
In its place, as sombre as a scarecrow,
Was a black-bordered missive from the state.
When we left, it seemed like an adventure:
Hugs and backslaps and putting on a smile.
Then the train rides, through cold nights and long days.
I don’t know where we are. They all seem nice
But they spea...
Monday 30th May 2022 8:48 am
Davos
They’re performing a foxtrot in Davos,
The great and the good are crossing the floor;
While deep in Ukraine, with little to gain,
The dance is wilder than ever before.
The movers and shakers are out in force,
They move their careers and their buyback bids;
While near to Kyiv, with little to give,
Old jackets are shaken to feed the kids.
Designer shoppers and vegan...
Thursday 26th May 2022 5:45 pm
City Tour
Good afternoon, you’ve come from far and wide;
In Mariupol, I shall be your guide.
Do not believe the lying foreign press,
Who will pretend this place is one big mess.
Just look at the improvements we have made:
All that extra space, if a bit less shade.
(And any minor damage has been done
By outside agents who have cut and run).
You see that souvenir shop with its flags?
...Wednesday 25th May 2022 8:09 am
Afterlife
Many here will go to heaven,
Though some of us will go to hell.
These places stand on worlds apart,
But who does badly? Who does well?
We think that sinners should be sent
To purgatory down below,
But in a war all lines are blurred;
Good people may not even know
That they deserve an afterlife
Of peace and comfort and of joy,
While devils rise in our esteem
...Thursday 19th May 2022 9:16 am
Day 82
You wake again in dawn’s reluctant light;
The neighbour’s wife and youngster have both fled.
He shivers as he clings hold of his gun
And, unrefreshed, falls on his lonely bed.
War, looking back, can be a lucky break.
Men who once cleaned up a factory floor,
When it is over, build a better life;
At present, it’s a terrifying chore
Of trembling hands, impending...
Monday 16th May 2022 7:40 am
My Enemy
I felt a numbness after the event:
A single shot, and this was just a boy,
Barely out of school. He lay, open-mouthed,
And I thought of his family and friends,
His teenage passions, posters on the wall,
His portrait of pride, hanging in the hall.
Suddenly, my mates were surrounding me -
We had blown a hole in enemy lines -
Slapping my back, but I was now alone.
One may a...
Friday 13th May 2022 9:25 pm
Anger Management
We should not yield to anger,
Nor trespass upon kindness.
There are other ways to staunch the boiling blood.
The sight of yesterday’s Victory parade,
With its wind-up, flat-pack military,
Its gross salutes and guns and strut,
Its little man made out of wax,
Talking for ages through his nut,
Made me grimace at the waste
And at the tragic, pointless load
Of fresh-dead b...
Tuesday 10th May 2022 9:50 pm
Lenin
I thought he would be giving us a wave,
But no. An old gent, looking quite cheesed off.
As an individual, he had good points,
But I don’t want his statue in this town.
He has too much baggage; I’m short on tact.
Anyway, we do not need more clutter.
These damned edifices are everywhere:
Footballers, dogs, forgotten men in wigs.
In some spots you can hardly move for them.
...
Sunday 8th May 2022 5:22 pm
Atmosphere
I once passed a little village
Where locals met and chatted in the square;
Some, most withdrawn, played cards and smoked.
The place was poor but free from fear or care.
When required, the work was done;
Winters were hard but held a certain charm.
Then all too soon the tanks rolled in;
There was no time to ring out the alarm.
Now, though the buildings are long gone...
Thursday 5th May 2022 5:07 pm
Make-Believe
Stop. Go back to your make-believe,
For what is real is hard to bear.
In normal times we take a stroll
And look around and sniff the air,
But now imagination rules,
No entertainment lives out there.
Three heroes in their sailor suits
Dance to the tunes of ‘On the Town’,
While outside bombs and missiles land
And innocence comes crashing down.
The burned-out s...
Monday 2nd May 2022 11:49 am
Red Sky at Night
Not many shepherds live around these parts,
But down the road the buildings are ablaze.
In semi-darkness, citizens with pails
Run like hares towards the smoky haze.
I stop one in passing. ‘I’m Jan,’ he says.
His features throb with duty and despair;
His younger friend stands polishing a gun.
Our lives are here, but could be anywhere.
Friday 29th April 2022 5:43 pm
Missile
I popped out to the shops to buy some bread;
When I returned my family were dead.
A missile had destroyed our neighbourhood;
From this time onwards, nothing will be good.
I cannot understand these men of war;
I cannot comprehend what this is for.
We had no quarrel with our former friends;
How can these means advance their twisted ends?
Were they at war, my children and my w...
Tuesday 26th April 2022 10:06 pm
Knock, Knock!
Knock, knock
Can you hear me?
Please let me in
I'll save you from God
And convert you to sin
I won't abandon
Or show you no care
I'll give you free horns
So you know that I'm there!
I'll speak in wry tongues
Only you understand
And tattoo your soul
With my 666 brand!
I'll make you new shoes
(On the hoof, as it were)
You'll be able to trot
Through my pit of de...
Tuesday 26th April 2022 7:01 pm
You Will Pay for This
On “Victory Day” Knee deep in blood
The arms and limbs of the dead
Climb up you
In day and night terrors.
Murdered by you
Mothers
Fathers
Lovers
Sisters
brothers
children
&
Babies
All silenced by you
Your final solution…
Like the Jews in the ghetto.
All must go
But on your death bed
“Your god” whispers
...Saturday 23rd April 2022 2:38 pm
Let us pray
I want there to be a God.
I want there to be someone
I can pray to in hard times
And feel the warmth of family.
But when I see all this death,
All this doom and destruction
And reach out for some solace,
Who is there to answer me?
Religious leaders bang on
And pass round the piled-high plate,
But can they stop the nightmare
And bring back sons and daughte...
Wednesday 20th April 2022 6:32 am
'Grieving Ukrainian Mother' (As seen on TV)
The caption caught my eye with morning tea;
Tearful in woe, she loomed large on the screen.
The opened plastic bag revealed her son;
Her heartbreak and distress was hard to bear.
The brother held her in a sad caress;
Distraught, they parried questions from the press.
And I was torn. Should this not be discreet,
This tragedy, and not for public view?
Then someone else, ...
Friday 15th April 2022 1:37 pm
Rain
When the rain stops, and the clouds part,
We venture out to take a look,
And for one brief moment wallow
In some space of blessed respite.
A shower has freshened up this place;
The violent mist has melted
Into compost’s damp aroma,
Birdsong breaks the tuneless silence.
The lives not lived, through their absence,
Remind us of the dry prelude,
Crackling in heat and nois...
Wednesday 13th April 2022 3:19 pm
Staged Event
It wasn’t that complicated,
But it had to be authentic.
No point in actors playing dead.
Think about it! They’ll sneeze or twitch
As the cameras start rolling
And give the whole damn game away.
Luckily we had true patriots,
Prepared to sacrifice their lives,
Ready to jump in plastic bags
And take a bullet in the head.
Thousands were queueing round the block.
Cheere...
Saturday 9th April 2022 9:29 am
My Little Girl
#withUkraine
Sssh, it's just the thunder
My little girl
Pack a bag
Don't feel sad
I know Daddy has to stay
But he's keeping
The big bad wolves at bay
Don't cry, don't cry!
We'll say goodbye
He'll come back soon
And bring the moon
And we'll eat it
With a big, fat spoon!
That's more like it!
Giggles & smiles
Daddy can see them
From miles &...
Wednesday 6th April 2022 8:27 pm
The Prince and King Rat
Once upon a time
in a land not too far away
People lived their lives
in a free and happy way
Their leader a Prince amongst men
smart, brave and strong
His countrymen praised him
to them he could do no wrong
Their close neighbours
came from “the land of make believe”
Ruled by a corrupt dictator
whose mission was to deceive
He was an monstrous ogre
a ruthless, greedy billionair...
Tuesday 5th April 2022 5:37 pm
Professionals
I didn’t have to do this job;
There were many things on offer,
But somehow I fell into it.
Most days it’s pretty routine:
Emptying the bins and the bags.
But yesterday, everything changed;
The cameras and microphones
Screamed indignation at the world,
While the crows and vultures circled
For a sniff of plastic-wrapped flesh.
Unfamiliar with our task,
We tidied up, ...
Tuesday 5th April 2022 1:46 pm
In the Silence
The cars outside my window
Rumble to and from places
Without a care in the world
The children scream out Mehmet’s name
To come out to play
And when he does
Their little faces light up
In Mariupol there is just silence
A bird sarcastically chirps
A dog sniffs round
But there is nothing to eat
The rumble of tanks has gone
The screams have ...
Tuesday 5th April 2022 1:17 pm
The Air Of Spring
Last week the pretty trees blossomed
it felt like spring was in the air
Now it feels more like winter
those fragile blooms scattered everywhere
The sunshine brought out bright colours
the butterflies, bees and flowers
Now the gloomy grey has returned
as we dodge harsh, wintry showers
------
If I could be a super hero
I would be the “Air of Spring”
I’d sprinkle rays of hope an...
Monday 4th April 2022 7:14 pm
Blue and Gold
Harrogate 21/3/22
It’s when I see the kites
a family are flying on the Stray
and notice how they glint in blue and gold
belatedly I catch on, how today
the bichrome of the flag of the Ukraine
has never been completely out of sight:
I’ve seen its vivid tones unrolled
not just where you’d expect:
flourished on the apex of a pole;
sellotaped to windows or on do...
Tuesday 29th March 2022 1:39 pm
Missile Ways
Missile Ways
What's up the sky and the Russian planes?
Before they're splashed by Stinger missiles
Whoosh! Missile away go go go kill a jet
Or chopper bring it down in the water
Let the crew freeze or drown
Some burn alive or get killed in the crash
How dare they invade Ukraine!
Teach them all a lesson forever
Some things not to be forgotten
Like Duncan in Dune 2021 d...
Sunday 20th March 2022 10:01 pm
Tupolev 141 Drone
Tupolev 141 Drone
Those old drones and planes and choppers all sat there just waiting to fly to war. Polish the metal fuel them up kick the tires away they go. No crew just needed just a memory of flight. Something part of their fabric like their wings or engine. A thing part spirit part elemental that exists beyond human comprehension though we built the machines.
Now t...
Sunday 20th March 2022 9:56 pm
Ongoing
Ongoing
The pretty lady screams
KILL ME NOW!!!
Putin’s bombs just murdered her baby
What life will the young mum have now?
In a shattered country war death hate killing
The bastard waited decades for this
And acted not caring the cost
Of Russia’s neighbouring nation
Plus thousands of dead Russian soldiers
Let the traumatised lady be an example
...Sunday 20th March 2022 9:48 pm
By Sixes
By Sixes
With this book we have to make a difference
The weight of worry and seriousness is huge
This has not happened before not this way
And very soon all things could happen
They try to control it but can they?
How do you control so many soldiers?
Along with the other shooters
Planes ships launchers tanks and more
Myself I've never felt this way
Except briefly in t...
Sunday 20th March 2022 9:42 pm
Vivid Orange
Vivid Orange
Sky black burnt like sack cloth by the fires
Endless fires vivid orange flames
Always orange as is the screams
Now invisible for they are dead
Bodies black ash blown about
Wind whipped up by the flames
Orange wind this way and that
Like the war win lose win lose
On and on till it simply ended
All dead nobody left to fight
Pull the trigger dro...
Sunday 20th March 2022 9:37 pm
20 Cents
20 Cents
The guy gave the war concern 20 cents
This was enough to buy ten bullets
Which would kill ten enemy soldiers
If fired accurately by a good soldier
He'd give more if he could afford it
But he was jobless and skint
20 cents was all he could afford
Bread and coffee cost money
Even if cheaper thru the VA
His benefits were little not enough
So he...
Sunday 20th March 2022 9:32 pm
In Silence
In Silence
The English ex SAS Special Forces member went to the Ukraine to fight. He travelled light and took just a small back pack and a head full of skills. A gun was a gun and a bayonet a bayonet. He was trained to use most things as weapon especially military articles.
He decided to go to the Ukraine after the Russians invaded proper in early 2022. The Ukrainian Army too...
Sunday 20th March 2022 9:26 pm
Ukraine
On Putin's hands much blood does stain,
From the dreadful invasion of Ukraine.
Russian tanks and armies have been sent
To destroy lives - much of whom were innocent.
Senseless and evil - it must be described,
As many Ukrainians flee or try to hide.
Putin - a man the world must surely despise,
As we hear his words, which are full of lies.
While Ukraine still tries to show resistance,
...
Saturday 12th March 2022 3:23 pm
What is it I see?
Father,
what is it I see?
In this place down below
Where rich tides of life
ebb, and then flow
Where beauty & horror
Rub shoulders like friends
And the dominant species
Both destroy, and defend
What is it I see?
When the colours of dawn
Turn, too soon, to darkness
In a gathering storm
Not made from the seasons
But the breath of i...
Friday 11th March 2022 4:20 pm
The mouse and the Lion
How much harm is inflicted by ambition and power
that carrying war in itself,
sheds blood,
tears and grief
How little does evil and hatred care about
slaughtering children and elders
or the present and the future of a country
How absolutely insane may corruption and ego become
to smother, desolate and crush a garden
Ukraine, you have been orphaned,
but ...
Friday 11th March 2022 4:08 pm
Let's Show This to Putin
Confusion
People milling about
Screaming
At a makeshift hospital a mother cries for her child
Cameras follow through to the operating room
Where the child lies
The doctor screams at the camera
He sounds like he’s saying I’ll smash your face in
But when the translation comes
He’s saying
Show this to Putin
Because the child has died
Illusion
Last week they...
Thursday 10th March 2022 11:46 am
Armchair Generals
Armchair generals
Firing other people’s bullets
With other people’s sons
Express sympathy
With the refugee
Who would be welcome here
If they weren’t such a risk to national insecurity
And Lincolnshire is full, says Leigh
Even if they’re willing to pick fruit
What has Liz’s dressing-up box
Got for us today?
Fighter pilot? Tank commander?
Recruiter for La Légion étrangère?
She’s unlik...
Friday 4th March 2022 10:00 am
In the world of her
On the threshold she stood,
Of the house where her life smiled.
Waving wildly her small arms at him,
Of whom she was the only child.
Inside sat the lady of the house,
Silencing her sobs and drinking up her tears.
Careful not to let the the happy bird know,
Chasing her was the worst of her fears.
All laiden with arms covered under his coat,
To not let the little...
Thursday 3rd March 2022 2:37 pm
Mourning…
I wake up to coffee
My failing eye sight
Classical music gently calming down
The beats of the coming day
My cat encircles me
Wanting food
And then with trepidation
I turn on the news
They are waking up to
An underground shelter
Darkness all around them
Hearing in the distance
The slow thunder of tanks
And the loss of thei...
Wednesday 2nd March 2022 1:18 pm
Two Hands
Two hands pressed against a window pane
as the packed train departs the station
A mother holds her child close and tight
heading to an unknown destination
He watches blinking away the tears
until the train is far out of sight
Mother and child escape the danger
Father stays on to fight the brave fight
For the first time in their family life
they will not be together tonight
There wi...
Tuesday 1st March 2022 2:27 pm
BEWARE THE BEAR
Beware the bear, my father said,
and he’d been taken to its lair,
read the truth, and clawed his way
from its clasp, a gasp from death
where all breath slows,
in Siberian taiga snows.
Beware the bear,
that funny, honey, sunny-featured creature
which, as a host, will greet you
to its land of ice and hut-filled woods,
with a hug and, open-armed,
insist your stay...
Saturday 26th February 2022 11:26 pm
Here Comes The War
HERE COMES THE WAR
Upon the hand that wears the ring
Upon the land where locusts sing
There lies a shadow that begins
To make fools of foolish kings
By fear, hunger, hate and pride
By secret tears never cried
By flood, famine, fire and rod
By supplication to their God
Here comes the war
Over the border
Right to your door
Here comes the war
U...
Saturday 26th February 2022 3:32 am
The Sirens Ringing Out
The sirens are ringing out
Did I wake up to 1939?
Bits of paper waved in the air
As a bomb rips through a house
“we’ll hit them in their bank accounts”
But no statement can save a child’s life
The sirens ringing out
Wailing across a Kyiv square
A mother in Donetsk a sister in Odesa
A cold chill running down her spine
“It’s hopeless”
...
Thursday 24th February 2022 2:48 pm
MH17
Golden Eagle, soaring high
Shot down in flames
From hate-filled skies
Raining people
Watch them die
What the hell is going on?
Luggage scattered
Bodies shattered
Children's toys
Bruised and battered
They shot a fucking plane down!
Innocent lives of hundreds gone
Families broken
Left to mourn
The loved ones
Who won't make it home
Division - at what cost?
A politic...
Monday 21st July 2014 8:53 pm
My Long-Suffering Ukraine
We live in an unpredictable world
Where everything is so much twirled.
Each new day brings a surprise.
And how easy is it to realize
What can turn into bad or nice?
The evil today is a plan of some possessed
To destroy those who were by God blessed.
To turn into the colony Ukraine,
And the main: Ukrainians - into slaves.
The empire of greed craves the grav...
Friday 17th January 2014 1:10 pm
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