Days have turned to years
in the chaotic news cycle
fighting to maintain attention
on the genocide of Russia,
their relentless attacks
their denial of humanity,
the murder, the destruction,
the terror throughout Ukraine...
The front is everywhere,
Everywhere there is terror
unrelenting violence, anger,
raining down upon them
in their beds, in the streets
while the world is pulled away,
onto the next madness, war,
the pain throughout our planet...
Speaking about Ukraine in the news,
a topic, not a call to action, not
Standing with her people, their soldiers,
seeing their fight not as our own...
Shouting into the void, screaming -
Do not forget these people, this nation!
Carrying the fight for freedom, for life,
for self-determination, dignity on this globe...
Wake people, do not be distracted,
Four years of terror of genocide,
of unrelenting destruction, murder
of the innocents, of children,
the greatest in heaven, those suffering
under constant bombardment...
Do not forget them crying, “Help us!”,
The same enemy stalks all of you
and seeks your destruction...
-----
February 14, 2026
Days turned to Years
On the Fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion
of Ukraine, February 24, 2026
Edited February 13, 2026
touching bleeding flesh – v2 – defender
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/02/touching-bleeding-flesh-v2-written-by.html
(written by a decorated medic on the front lines in
Ukraine)
February 27, 2025
touching bleeding flesh
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/02/touching-bleeding-flesh-defender.html
(written by a decorated medic on the front lines in
Ukraine)
Edited February 13, 2026
The Cost of Dignity – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-cost-of-dignity-v2.html
Ukraine Olympic
flagbearer and Skeleton slider, Vladyslav Heraskevych, wore a helmet with the
images of fallen Ukrainian athletes. The IOC ruled he could not wear it even in
practice. When he refused to comply, the IOC banned him from participating in
the Milan Olympics. This set off a firestorm around the world.
“What Vladyslav Heraskevych did wearing this helmet with
the images of dead Ukrainian athletes is wholly consistent with the way the
entire country of Ukraine honors its war dead every day, through the Moment of
Honor at 9am every morning, in kneeling beside the road as a funeral procession
passes, through the days of remembrance throughout the calendar, through the
large images of the dead in cemeteries, to all the places across the country
that have the images of the fallen.
The fallen are ever-present with the people of Ukraine.
His helmet is the embodiment of how he and the country honor the fallen, all
those killed by Russia, by its genocide in Ukraine.”
Edited December 28, 2025
echoes of the metronome – v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/12/echoes-of-metronome-v3.html
during Moment of Honor (Вшануй), at 9:00am daily in
Ukraine
https://www.threads.com/@moment_of_honor
https://www.facebook.com/momentofhonor/
https://www.instagram.com/moment_of_honor/
“We are a team that promotes the Minute of Silence
Edited December 23, 2025
no minute of silence – v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/12/no-minute-of-silence-v3.html
based on an Instagram post by Julia Kochetova,
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DRH98GHiKSp/
Edited August 20, 2025
Flying from every flagpole – v5
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/flying-from-every-flagpole-v5.html
June 4, 2025
to remember the dead
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/06/to-remember-dead.html
“to remember the dead is to appreciate the living”
Quote by defender about Cheka Fest, June 1, 2025 in Lviv,
https://www.instagram.com/cheka.fest/
2,000 participants remembered fallen combat medic
Iryna "Cheka" Tsybukh,
who died May 29, 2024, days before her 26
th
birthday on June 1, 2024.
Edited May 22, 2025
You hold each of them so closely – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/05/you-hold-each-of-them-so-closely-v2.html
a video (
https://www.instagram.com/p/DHlbX7MtEjg/)
of Ukrainian women defenders making Ukrainian Easter eggs with a picture of
combat medic Iryna "Cheka" Tsybukh on the table.
Edited April 4, 2025
sisters in arms – v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/04/sisters-in-arms-v3.html
written after reading post by defender of Ukraine about
serving as
a woman in the army, for International Women’s Day, March
8, 2025
February 27, 2025
touching bleeding flesh
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/02/touching-bleeding-flesh-defender.html
(written by a decorated medic on the front lines in
Ukraine)
Edited February 26, 2025
touching bleeding flesh – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/02/touching-bleeding-flesh-v2.html
"The present memory of that day" is both 2/24/2022
for Ukraine and Ukrainians
and 2/14/1991 for me personally. I am using my experience of
detailed visceral
images of lifting the blood and brains of my father to give
even a touch of
authenticity to this poem, merging my conversation with one
defender and
the words of that other defender yesterday to write
"touching bleeding flesh "
&
Edited February 26, 2025
The present memory of that day – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-present-memory-of-that-day-v2.html
February 25, 2025
Memory of February 24, 2022
as described by a
defender of Ukraine, in uniform since 2013.
edited February 15, 2025
Three years of terror, of genocide – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/02/three-years-of-terror-genocide-v2.html
March 5, 2022
Don’t give Ukraine to the Madman
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2022/03/dont-give-ukraine-to-madman.html
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, 2021, 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, Russia, NATO, war, invasion, Putin,
terror, genocide, Crimea, 1000 Days, Four Years, Europe, Zelenskyy, Trump,
Stand With Ukraine, full-scale invasion,
#poetry #Ukraine #Russia #NATO #war #invasion #terror #genocide
#StandWithUkraine #FourYears #Europe #Zelenskyy #Trump #Putin
