Tears for They That Hold

By Cliff Lake

 

Tears for They That Hold

 

Putin-defiant they stand,

Though genocide looks on them bold.

A bulwark they are,

The stop against the ravage.

Yet in that,

Are they ravaged themselves,

Yet they toil on!

Distant sisters and brothers,

They would be forsaken by orators,

Who lose nothing,

Save the errant mouse-click or two,

By the least read among us,

Who tell they would withhold succor,

In Jesus name.

What shame is this!

Daily my thoughts turn eastward,

But mindfulness and bullets,

Are often estranged.

How do I coerce the already-bought,

That they may do their duty,

And throw off their cowardice,

And become human once more?

Why do they choose craven negation?

Why do they deny empathy?

What sort of creatures must they be,

That they allow an entire nation to be bled,

While the entire world watches?

Slava Ukraini! You are not forgotten,

Though for this time denied.

We see you, Ukraine!

We hear you Ukraine!

We weep for you Ukraine.

Know that the people of the U.S.

While we do not know your names,

We know your spirit,

And we call upon our leaders,

To do right by you.

We see you, Ukraine.

We hear you Ukraine,

And we weep for you.

Tears are not bullets, I know,

But they may buy them.

They may buy them yet.

Slava!

 

Cliff Lake 4/9/2024

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024

Location: Ukraine

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