Let's not forget the Ukraine! (poem below)

Life goes on almost normally for most of us who need not live in daily fear of missiles and bombs dropping on our homes killing our neighbors and our friends and their children as Putin pursues his cruel and criminal invasion of the Ukraine. I wear this hat most days so that they remain on my mind.

You will find more than 190 of my poems HERE. fno.org/poetry/index.html

Bystanders

We are merely bystanders
Watching with horror
From a distance
This cruel and insane invasion
By Putin and his hordes
His raping, murderous criminal army
Rampaging, plundering and pillaging like barbarians of old

We need not suffer any wounds
Or watch our babies and grandparents die
Our husbands, sons and daughters perish
Instead we can sit comfortably watching from a distance
Mere bystanders
We watch this war unfolding
Like some Hollywood horror movie
Playing out on our widescreen TVs
We munch on Pringles
And open another beer
Af if this were a hockey or football game
And we the spectators
While Putin is licking his bloody fingers
And sadistic lips
Mumbling happy obscenities
As his legions stumble, stab, bomb and maim
The young, the old and the innocent
Even as we try to switch channels
Clicking on our remote controls in vain
The war goes on
And on
And if we should ask for whom the bell tolls
It tolls for thee

Credit to John Donne, whose poem “For whom the bell tolls”
inspired the ending of this poem.

© Jamie McKenzie, all rights reserved
You will find more of my poems and songs here
and in The Storm in Its Passing and Flights of Fancy.

My songs are at
www.youtube.com/user/edtech2008/videos

Taken on: April 26, 2023

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Sets appears in: • Jamie's Poetry

Groups appears in: • Poetry and Photographs, not just photographs. • iFlickr more » • Ukraine • Self Portraits • Poetry • flickr poetry • My Self Portrait • Simply Poetry • Politics on FLICKR with Free Speech • A Place For Portraits • Faces and faces - H.I.G.H.Q.U.A.L.I.T.Y. • 1000 words of poetry • [ s e l f - p o r t r a i t s ] • selfie shots • iPhone Photography • Photos taken with an Apple iPhone • Profound Photography • Poems, Poems, Poems • Portrait Group 2012 • The best picture of the world • You-Graphy • the U! • POETRY AND PROSE « less

Camera: Apple iPhone 13 mini, f/2.2, 1/37 sec, 2.7mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Apple iPhone 13 mini
Aperture:	f/2.2
Exposure Time:	0.027 sec (1/37)
Focal Length:	2.7mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	16.3.1
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