Darya, it is my pleasure to have read your powerful post. Since Putin’s ghastly “special military operation” in Ukraine began, I’ve followed a brave, resourceful, woman from Kyiv. I’m still on Twitter (X doesn’t exist in my mind) where our paths first crossed. She has left the thuggery of Musk behind and is now on Patreon. Her mother and aunt live in a northwestern Oblast where she was born, and has visited when reasonably safe. I joke with Yara about being an ambassador for Ukraine! She reports on recent Russian aggression, then on more positive and recent events, then usually closes with information about artists from Ukraine. From long ago as well as current ones. She photographs old and wonderful majestic buildings in Kyiv, tries to attend tours to get pictures of the interiors of the famous buildings to share with her followers. As winter sets in I worry for all of Ukraine regarding food and warmth and potable water. Russia would think nothing of blowing up the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. Russia has already destroyed an important hydroelectric dam. I don’t remember the Oblast. Mostly I think to destroy another source of electricity for Ukraine. Putin is a savage terrorist with no value of human lives other than his own. I so hope Yara can survive till the end of this atrocity then begin living a rewarding life.
In the end, isn’t that what we all long for. Maybe fantasize about. Dream? I extend best wishes to you and your husband, as the US and the entire world plot the next best chess move to obliterate the orange menace and his legion of followers. Build a community of like minded friends to sustain your hopes and strength for one another.
What Russia is doing to Ukraine is a catastrophe on a scale not seen since WW2. Totally heartbreaking, senseless & chilling.
Whatever could be going on in Putin's head, like Hitler, is something I'll never understand no matter which way people spin it. Putin's war on Ukraine is but the tip of the iceberg. He's been plotting, planning & interfering with Western society for decades, & ever since Russia's experiment with communism came to an end with the tearing down of the Berlin Wall & all that followed afterwards.
What could possibly be behind the monster? What happened in this man's life that turned him into a tyrant?
I agree. Russian invasion of Ukraine is a catastrophe, and the motives and consequences go far beyond Ukraine. Unfortunately, too many people, especially those in power, choose to ignore the danger and scale of it.
At one point, I asked similar questions about Putin’s motivations. Since 2022, though, I have come to believe that dictators and other sociopaths or psychopaths exist as a design feature; not a flaw. They are part of our landscape because the real question is not why they exist. (Why shouldn’t they exist? All things are possible in this universe.) The important question is “What are the rest of us going to do about them?” How far do we let them go before we stop them? They are as fragile as any other human being. But they appeal to enough people’s baser instincts that they are propped up long after they could have been torn down.
Darya that is a beautiful poem.
Thank you!
Darya, it is my pleasure to have read your powerful post. Since Putin’s ghastly “special military operation” in Ukraine began, I’ve followed a brave, resourceful, woman from Kyiv. I’m still on Twitter (X doesn’t exist in my mind) where our paths first crossed. She has left the thuggery of Musk behind and is now on Patreon. Her mother and aunt live in a northwestern Oblast where she was born, and has visited when reasonably safe. I joke with Yara about being an ambassador for Ukraine! She reports on recent Russian aggression, then on more positive and recent events, then usually closes with information about artists from Ukraine. From long ago as well as current ones. She photographs old and wonderful majestic buildings in Kyiv, tries to attend tours to get pictures of the interiors of the famous buildings to share with her followers. As winter sets in I worry for all of Ukraine regarding food and warmth and potable water. Russia would think nothing of blowing up the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. Russia has already destroyed an important hydroelectric dam. I don’t remember the Oblast. Mostly I think to destroy another source of electricity for Ukraine. Putin is a savage terrorist with no value of human lives other than his own. I so hope Yara can survive till the end of this atrocity then begin living a rewarding life.
In the end, isn’t that what we all long for. Maybe fantasize about. Dream? I extend best wishes to you and your husband, as the US and the entire world plot the next best chess move to obliterate the orange menace and his legion of followers. Build a community of like minded friends to sustain your hopes and strength for one another.
Thank you for your support, Gary! Let's hope for the best. Ukraine will prevail, but it will need all the help it can get.
Great poem! Have you heard this Belarusian song? It is based on the poem of the Belarusian poet Valery Marakou. https://youtu.be/eS6mwj98zco?si=xi_FAwMSY3uYWIKA
It's a beautiful song! I haven't heard it before. Thank you for sharing!
I feel your poem’s words viscerally: A new era is dawning and we are in the drawn-out death throes of an old one.
Thank you! 💯
What Russia is doing to Ukraine is a catastrophe on a scale not seen since WW2. Totally heartbreaking, senseless & chilling.
Whatever could be going on in Putin's head, like Hitler, is something I'll never understand no matter which way people spin it. Putin's war on Ukraine is but the tip of the iceberg. He's been plotting, planning & interfering with Western society for decades, & ever since Russia's experiment with communism came to an end with the tearing down of the Berlin Wall & all that followed afterwards.
What could possibly be behind the monster? What happened in this man's life that turned him into a tyrant?
I agree. Russian invasion of Ukraine is a catastrophe, and the motives and consequences go far beyond Ukraine. Unfortunately, too many people, especially those in power, choose to ignore the danger and scale of it.
At one point, I asked similar questions about Putin’s motivations. Since 2022, though, I have come to believe that dictators and other sociopaths or psychopaths exist as a design feature; not a flaw. They are part of our landscape because the real question is not why they exist. (Why shouldn’t they exist? All things are possible in this universe.) The important question is “What are the rest of us going to do about them?” How far do we let them go before we stop them? They are as fragile as any other human being. But they appeal to enough people’s baser instincts that they are propped up long after they could have been torn down.
Absolutely agree!