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Cold Soup

It seems that everybody’s fair game now.

In the town of Dnipro the other day

Their missiles claimed a two-year-old girl’s life.

And so we still have the moral high ground,

Until such time our side does something worse.

I want to have faith, believe there’s a God,

But was a decent man nailed to the cross

To make way for this dung heap of a world,

This foul dominion of the half-brick?

Round the corner, the hard men fill their boots

And dream of all the perks of après-guerre;

The howls of grieving from the family

A minor irritation, like cold soup.

Ukrainewar

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Comments

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Stephen Gospage

Sat 10th Jun 2023 14:27

Thanks for all the generous and pertinent comments. I would love to have a rosier view of this conflict and even believe that a Ukraine victory will make everything right. But sadly the moral vacuum created by war tends to spread to everyone and it is often not those who have suffered who reap the spoils of peace.
I agree, Keith, that we have abused our beautiful planet and with Hélène that there is still hope in basic human decency. Thanks also to John B, John C, Uilleam and Bethany for their comments and to Clare and Manish for liking.

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John Botterill

Fri 9th Jun 2023 22:58

Extremely powerful, bitter and as usual, with you Stephen, accurate. Thank you.

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John Coopey

Fri 9th Jun 2023 22:02

I don’t think you’ve ever bettered this, Stephen.

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Hélène

Fri 9th Jun 2023 16:47

Despair knocks at our door, endlessly.
Powerful: "I want to have faith, believe there’s a God,
But was a decent man nailed to the cross,
To make way for this dung heap of a world,
This foul dominion of the half-brick?"
So much sorrow on this planet...I have given up trying to understand it. But I look to the stars for solace and hope, and to the kindness of people that arises no matter what...thank you Stephen for writing such compassionate poetry about war.

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Bethany Sallis

Fri 9th Jun 2023 10:12

A CLASS! albeit deeply saddening poem Stephen. All due respect and thanks

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Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Thu 8th Jun 2023 10:07

Thank you Stephen.
Your last line sums up how we tend to lose our sense of perspective.

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keith jeffries

Thu 8th Jun 2023 09:08

A poem written with passion and clouded with despair. I sums up well the ghastly state of affairs in the Ukraine and the war which ravages their country. The world is plagued by this evil. I was drawn to the line "I want to have faith, believe there's a God". Many people will feel like this but I think we need to see the world from another perspective. God has given us the most incredible planet on which to live, rich in beauty and diversity. As humans and a part of this creation we have been given freedom. We have abused this freedom through greed, intolerance and violence. Only we can make amends.
Stephen, thank you for another brilliant poem.
Keith

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