Grounded

His spirit was planted in her black soil,
even when his body was taken from her,
Shevchenko never left his Ukraina,
even exiled he was forever at home….
 
Even in prison, no walls could hold him,
closing his eyes he was flying, soaring,
able to traverse the wildness, the distance,
grabbing a handful of that soil…
 
Grounded in the place of his birth,
no matter how many years he was distant,
in truth his spirit never left her,
his mother, his lover, Ukraine…
 
Pain when he did not see her, touching,
feeling the power of this space, this place,
but connected with his homeland forever,
her black soil deep in his soul…
 
---------------
December 3, 2024
Grounded
 
Edited October 29, 2024
Diaspora – 2- v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/10/diaspora-2-v2.html
about the 24 years Taras Shevchenko
spent away from Ukraine in his youth and imprisonment,
like the Babylonian Exile in Israel
&
Written and posted September 30, 2024
The mother and the martyr
typed October 15, 2024
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-mother-and-martyr.html
after poem “the mother and the martyr”, based on the poem,
“Neophytes”, by Taras Shevchenko
&
Written and posted September 30, 2024
The Great Catastrophe
typed October 15, 2024
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-great-catastrophe.html
based on sentence and imprisonment of Taras Shevchenko
for ten years, 1847 (age 33) until 1857 (age 43)
&
Written and posted September 30, 2024
the ruin of his country
typed October 15, 2024
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-ruin-of-his-country.html
after poem “the ruin of his country”, based on the poems,
“The Dream” and “The Great Grave”, by Taras Shevchenko
&
Written and posted September 30, 2024
unhappy with their lies
typed October 15, 2024
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/10/unhappy-with-their-lies.html
about Taras Shevchenko’s life and poetry
&
Edited October 29, 2024
A revolutionary, a subversive – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/10/a-revolutionary-subversive-v2.html
after poem “A revolutionary, a subversive”, based on the poem,
“The Dream, by Taras Shevchenko
&
Edited October 29, 2024
A voice against injustice – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/10/a-voice-against-injustice-v2.html
Poems about Ukraine and the book, The Poet of Ukraine,
about the life and poetry of the Bard of Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko,
which I read after Hurricane Helene,
from 9/29/2024 to 10/15/24
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 202 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
 
poetry, Ukraine, God, prayer, war, terror, genocide, Russia, peace, victory, Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian, freedom, independence, history, glory, pain, serfdom, muse, prison,
 
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