Thirty-Five Years of #Life #poetry #Ukraine #God #prayer #war #terror #genocide #Russia #peace #victory #TarasShevchenko #Taras #Shevchenko #Ukrainian #glory #serfdom #prison #freedom #independence #history #Crimea #SnakeIsland

Thirty-five years of life
of Ukraine’s independence,
shaking off chains of empire
the curse of many generations
unwilling to be subjects
to be slaves, serfs,
of their largest neighbor...
Unwilling to submit
to Moskal’s army...
 
Thirty-five years of fight
for full independence
to chart their own course
to stand as a free people
no longer slaves to tyrants
reclaiming what was taken
what was stolen from them
by the Bolsheviks, by the Tsar...
Yet always yearning to be free...
 
Thirty-five years of Moscow’s lie,
of the Soviets and the Tsars before them,
that they were one people
when Ukraine yearns to be free,
they have fought for independence,
they have been starved and deported...
Nothing of this is neighborly,
trying to erase Ukraine,
to make it a vassal state...
 
Thirty-five years of independence,
fighting for autonomy, survival,
twelve years of invasion of war,
of genocide by their neighbor,
of daily attacks by Russia,
Ukraine stands in the breach,
Ukraine is fighting their evil,
Ukraine will not submit,
Ukraine will win its freedom...
 
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August 23, 2026
Thirty-Five Years of Life
 
August 23, 2026
The Day of the Ukrainian Flag
August 24, 2026
The Thirty-fifth Ukrainian Independence Day
Edited July 11, 2026
Innovation – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/07/innovation-v2.html
Edited July 1, 2026
Breaking the chains of empire - v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/07/breaking-chains-of-empire-v2.html
June 30, 2022 – Liberation of Snake Island
June 30, 1941 – Act of Restoration of the Ukrainian State
1721 – Muscovy taking the name Russia
Edited June 30, 2026
Taras saw this future – v4
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/06/taras-saw-this-future-v4.html
Edited June 24, 2026
Resolve personified – v7
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/06/resolve-personified-v7.html
September 5, 2024
Flying from every flagpole
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/09/flying-from-every-flagpole.html
National Day of Remembrance – August 29, 2024
Ukraine Independence Day – August 24, 2024
Ukraine National Flag Day – August 23, 2024
August 27, 2024
The Flag of their Independence
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-flag-of-their-independence.html
February 25, 2022
In the crucible of terror
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2022/02/in-crucible-of-terror.html
April 11, 2014
Crying for Crimea
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2014/04/crying-for-crimea.html
my first poem about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,
just after the formal annexation of Crimea by Russia.
 
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, 2024, 2025, and 2026. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See 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, serfdom, prison, Crimea, Snake Island,
 
#poetry #Ukraine #God #prayer #war #terror #genocide #Russia #peace #victory #TarasShevchenko #Taras #Shevchenko #Ukrainian #glory #serfdom #prison #freedom #independence #history #Crimea #SnakeIsland