Дети – v4 #Children #Mariupol #Ukraine #Russia #WarCrimes

Written on the pavement in Russian,
Дети, Children! Діти. A prayer, a word,
a shout of protection over them, sanctuary,
believing they would be safe,
hiding in their makeshift shelter;
But we should have known our enemy,
the choice they made that day
to butcher the innocents…

This moment of pure depravity, діти,
now regular premeditated murder,
Seared in our memory, but numbed…
The horror become too frequent…
That should have been all we needed, Дети,
for every nation-state to act, to support them,
Evil they loosed that awful day on the theater
their refuge, their hiding place for children…

More than three years later, terror, Дети,
Cancer hospitals, apartment buildings, children
targeted by Russia’s FPV drones, human safaris,
targeting one year olds in Kherson,
daily attacks, the same evil, the same enemy;
But we remain complicit, appeasement, діти,
We draw red lines not to cross,
never fully Standing With Ukraine…

That one act of terror, war crimes, діти,
the inhumanity of Russia, of Putin,
Unrelenting terror, more than mere war,
crimes against humanity, innocent children,
on the hiding place of women and children,
bombing their seemingly safe refuge, Дети!
innocent blood taken that day, in genocide,
and yet we have remained silent…

So long ago now, normalized terror,
But then we watched in shock,
Only a month into the invasion, then,
We learned the truth about Russia,
We should have acted long ago
We should have stood with Ukraine…
Crying, “Дети!”, діти! was not enough
to save the innocent children…
 
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August 28, 2025
Дети – v4
 
March 16, 2022 – Bombing of Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theatre in Mariupol
July 8, 2024 – Attack on Okhmatdyt National Children’s Specialized Hospital, Kyiv
April 4, 2025 – Shelling of the playground in Kryvyi Rih
August 28, 2025
the cost of silence measured in children’s lives
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-cost-of-silence-measured-in.html
August 25, 2025
The cauldrons of Hell – 2 – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-cauldrons-of-hell-2-v2.html
August 21, 2025
Putin walked on a carpet of blood – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/putin-walked-on-carpet-of-blood-v2.html
July 12, 2025
Unrelenting Terror – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/07/unrelenting-terror-v2.html
Edited April 14, 2025
Screaming into the Void – v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/04/screaming-into-void-v3.html
Revised April 11, 2025
Kryvyi Rih – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/04/kryvyi-rih-v2-kryvyi-rih-not-just.html
Edited December 12, 2024
The blood of the dead in Bucha – v6
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-blood-of-dead-in-bucha-v6.html
typed October 15, 2024
The stain of innocent blood – v5
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-stain-of-innocent-blood-v5.html
Edited September 25, 2024
History will curse him – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/09/history-will-curse-him-v2.html
August 29, 2024
The dead do not yet rest in peace
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-dead-do-not-yet-rest-in-peace.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, 202 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.
 
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poetry, Ukraine, Russia, Putin, murder, terror, genocide, children,
 
#poetry #Russia #genocide #children