The Russian Bear

A poem that deals with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also looks at how, in the end, all these Great Men, like Putin, will meet an end.

The Russian Bear

The monster emerges with resounding roar:
From the cave mouth, it comes, an open door
Into the world; fragments of peace lie broken,
And words ring forth, sanctions, empty token,
As the Russian bear advances, its claws out,
And ready to destroy. A gleam of madness
Shines in its eyes, while there is sadness
Elsewhere than one man could so decide
The fate of many. Diplomacy was tried,
And failed. No one turned this savage tide,
Breaking like a wave, destroying sea walls,
And watched by the world, Ukraine falls,
Piece by piece before rockets and tanks,
Not stopped by all frozen assets in banks;
For this is one man’s legacy, place in history:
The time for words is over, mere sophistry,
As he shows naked aggression, his power,
And in fear, many families flee or cower;
There will be a reckoning of sorts one day,
One that even this monster cannot gainsay;
And one day, he will be ill, and so very old:
No longer the mighty man, no longer bold,
But frail and dying, and death claims him,
With no final fanfare, no glory, no hymn;
And for all his grand schemes, lives in ruin,
And warfare raged, death will be an undoing;
Justice comes, the final justice of the grave:
All that remains: empty bones in the cave.