Mar 5
The Bane of Ukraine
(a lamentable microcosm of human history)
Insanity
Injustice
Inhumanity
Inconceivable
Intolerable
A peaceful people
A threat to none
Yearning only for freedom
Peace and prosperity
Now under siege
Of missile and mortar fire
Rocket attacks
Bombs falling
Tanks and artillery
Rolling
Troops marching
Rifle and machine gun fire
Grenade bursts
Explosions, flames
Destruction
Honorable Abel
At the hands of Cain
A Slavic brother
A sister people
For what purpose
And to what end
Perpetrated
Under false pretenses
A setup, a sham
A paranoid bully
A cowardly thug
A madman
A maniac
Untethered
Unmoored
Unreasoning
Ungrounded
Unhinged
Bearing
The mark of Cain
Frightened
By the fragrance
Of liberty
And democracy
At his doorstep
A threat
To any tyrant
A reason therefore
To rewrite history
To justify conquest
And concoct lies
To pursue violence
Aggression and war
The powerful
Attacking the poor
The innocent
The meek
(But no not weak)
Refugees flee
Driven
From their homes
And homeland
Genocide
Fratricide
Indiscriminate
Brutality
Cruelty
And devastation
Targeting civilians
Schools, hospitals
Apartments
Markets, stores
Everything
Everyone
Seeking to terrorize
Intimidate
Annihilate
Exterminate
On display
Human depravity
Despotism
And deceit
Armageddon
Abaddon
Apollyon
Apocalypse
Annihilation
Devastation
Catastrophe
Mutually Assured Destruction
The Beast from the Abyss
Gog and Magog
Staring us in the face
How long must it take
Before we learn
That in war
There are no winners
When one attacks
Unprovoked
While the other
Must then take up arms
In defense
I know which side
I choose
Yet both lose
Nonetheless
D. Gee, March 2022
As Edwin Starr once sang in his hit song titled War:
“I said, war, huh (good God, y’all)
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, just say it again
War (whoa), huh (oh Lord)
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, listen to me”
Or perhaps Barry McGuire from his own #1 Eve of Destruction (lyrics in brackets updated/modified to align with our current context):
“Think of all the hate there is [now in Russia]
Then take a look around to [CPAC and AFPAC]
Ah, you may leave here for four days in space
But when you return, it’s the same old place
The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead but don’t leave a trace
Hate your next door neighbor but don’t forget to say grace
And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend
You don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction
You don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction”
The timeless currency of these lyrics from the protest songs of the 1960s and early 1970s is profoundly troubling. We haven’t learned a damn thing people. As we see a resurgence of authoritarianism, nationalism, and white supremacy around the world and in our own backyards, we are confronted with our own worst selves. And yet in the dignity, resilience, and courage manifested by so many in Ukraine in the face of a cruel and brutal invasion, we also see glimmers of our best selves. We need to condemn and put aside the former while affirming and growing in the latter before it is too late for all of us. Praying for God’s mercy, grace, truth, goodness, justice, protection, and peace to be poured out afresh in our land and in all lands. We are utterly lost without Him.
