touching bleeding flesh

the reality of these days, these years,
not captured in the videos,
commemorating an anniversary, 
when terror came to this land,
in the blare of air raid sirens,
the growl of the tanks, the screams
of the missiles, the drones...
 
nothing antiseptic, silent and clean,
visceral, every present,
a shard, shrapnel carried,
in our bleeding flesh,
the memory present of that day,
impossible to describe to others,
who cannot understand the pain...
 
touching bleeding flesh, 
of comrades, civilians, explosions,
on the ground, in the dust,
in the quagmire of these moments, 
not in seats of power, across the miles,
living in the visceral reality, each moment, 
memories alive, ever present...
 
shards cutting into flesh, shrapnel, 
of each moment carried with them,
the presence of their heroes, their dead,
walking ever with them, flesh of their flesh,
in the crucible of this now, these moments, 
crying from their reality, their pain, 
the memory of that day,
Memories that may never fade... 
 
--------------
February 25, 2025
touching bleeding flesh
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/02/touching-bleeding-flesh.html
"The memory present 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 "
&
February 25, 2025
The present memory of that day
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-present-memory-of-that-day.html
Memory of February 24, 2022
as described by defender of Ukraine 
Posted February 24, 2025
&
Edited February 24, 2025
Pandora’s Box a black hole… - v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/02/pandoras-box-black-hole-v3.html
Edited February 23, 2025
Europe must act – v4
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/02/europe-must-act-v4.html
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, and 2025. 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, Russia, NATO, war, invasion, Putin, terror, genocide, Crimea, 1000 Days, Three Years, Europe, Zelenskyy, Trump,
 
#poetry #Ukraine #Russia #NATO #war #invasion #Putin #terror #genocide #StandWithUkraine #ThreeYears #Europe #Zelenskyy #Trump #StandWithUkraine