written for the Global Day of Action against War
a line of soldiers
sprawled on muddy ground
before a disabled tank ...
sheets of snow falling
on a sheet of snow
rattling cups
against jail-cell bars
in dim light
bruised Russian students shout out
fight for peace! fight for peace!
shouting, No to War
staffers leave the studio
live and on-air ...
after loud bangs, then silence
the news channel plays Swan Lake
FYI: Punch, March 3: Putin detains 8,000 Russian protesters; The IndianEXPRESS, March 4: Russian news channel signs out saying ‘No To War,’ plays ‘Swan Lake’ as staff walks out; CBC News, March 5: Kremlin tightens grip on Russians' access to media with misinformation law; and Reuters, March 6: Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy tells Russians to protest before it's too late
Citizens of Russia! For you, this is a struggle not only for peace in Ukraine! This is a fight for your country... If you keep silent now, only your poverty will speak for you later. And only repression will answer.
If Russia stops fighting, there will be no war.
If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no more Ukraine!!!
-- Anti-War Protest Sign
Added:
written for the Global Day of Action for Peace
soul-tired refugees
stream through the Polish border
behind the fence
a pianist's fingers dancing
across ivory keys for peace
FYI: Wion, March 4: Watch: "Piano Man" Davide Martello brought some musical joy to the refugees. Martello travelled from Germany with his instruments on wheels.
Added: written for Dr. Y (whose name has been withheld to protect his safety) and his 5-year-old son:
amidst oil price surge
Russian invasion and Trump
ranting on Fox News ...
in his Batcopter the Batman
soars into skies over Kyiv
FYI: Today, Feb. 28: Ukrainian father gives his son Batman toy and a message, "Be brave:"This Kyiv pediatrician and dad drove his family 40 hours to safety, then turned around to go back and fight for his country.
And The Batman premiered in the United States on March 1, 2022.
Added:
Death of Innocence
hospice courtyard
Russian children line up
in the shape of Z
smoky sky
in each cracked window ...
Kharkiv daycare center
FYI: Sky News, March 7: Ukraine war: Terminally ill children in Russia line up outside hospice in shape of 'Z' to show support for invasion
The letter Z has become a propaganda symbol showing support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military invasion of Ukraine... The Z insignia has become popular in Russia, with many daubing it on their cars or wearing it on their t-shirts. It came to prominence after it was spotted on Russian military vehicles operating in Ukraine.
And “Z,” the Symbol of Russia’s New Politics of Aggression: The letter came to stand for devotion to the state, murderous rage, and unchecked power. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, March 8
CTV News, March 3: "Last independent Russian TV station plays 'Swan Lake' before it was blocked," accessed at accessed at https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/last-independent-russian-tv-station-plays-swan-lake-before-it-was-blocked-1.5805001
ReplyDelete... In 1982, when Russian leader Leonid Brezhnev died, Russian state television played the three-hour ballet as a stalling tactic while trying to come up with a succession plan. The same thing happened following the deaths of fellow Russian leaders Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko.
Then in August 1991, it played during a failed coup that marked the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union.
Communist supporters had arrested Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in an attempted coup as part of a final effort to stop democratic reforms in Russia, but eventually relented when military support never came.
The Soviet Union fell about four months later and “Swan Lake” has since become a symbol for political upheaval in Russia, with many Russians feeling a sense of unease when it plays...
And Reuters, March 2: "Russia's Navalny calls Putin insane and urges anti-war protests," accessed at
https://ca.yahoo.com/news/kremlin-critic-navalny-calls-daily-093859757.html
... Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has called on Russians to stage daily protests against Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, depicting President Vladimir Putin as an "obviously insane tsar."
Navalny called for protests across the country and abroad to signal that not all Russians support the war and show solidarity with the thousands of people detained in anti-war protests in Russia since last week's invasion.
"We cannot wait even a day longer. Wherever you are. In Russia, Belarus or on the other side of the planet. Go out onto the main square of your city every weekday at 19.00 and at 14.00 at weekends and on holidays," he said in a statement published on Twitter by his spokesperson.
Navalny said Russia wanted to be a nation of peace but few people would call it that now.
"Let’s at least not become a nation of frightened silent people. Of cowards who pretend not to notice the aggressive war against Ukraine unleashed by our obviously insane tsar," he said....