they couldn’t, cannot leave,
their hearts wouldn’t, won’t let them
this land that they love
this place of their essence...
brave people under constant attack
but choosing to stay anyway,
unwilling to leave their homes
while living in an active war zone...
children of the land, of Kherson,
planted in her rich black soil,
staying when others have departed
seeking to feed the world...
a choice to stay, to serve,
to grow the crops they love,
under the threat of death, terror,
on the land they know so well...
We must stand with these people...
We must support them in this struggle...
Each of them needs to be lifted up
but not just in our prayers...
the world needs to wake up
to the truth of daily terror
too long have they suffered alone
on the land which they love...
----------
Edited September 5, 2026
choosing to stay – v2
inspired by the posts of PhD Viktoriia Zieschank, @Viktoriia Zieschank
https://www.youtube.com/@MEDIAFIXGmbH
a native of Kherson and an agricultural PhD at Kherson State University
and Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University in Kherson for 20 years
and by the work of journalists Zarina Zabrisky and Caolan Robertson
bringing attention to the plight of the people of Kherson
and the farmers of Ukraine under constant attacks by Russia,
the reality of the threat of death through human safaris
Edited August 6, 2026
Human Safari – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/08/human-safari-v2.html
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2084608193645146204
Viral video of Yurii, a 52-year-old vegetable seller,
hunted by a Russian FPV drone in Kherson, Ukraine
Edited August 6, 2026
civilian targets – v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/08/civilian-targets-v3.html
Caolan Robertson’s reel of August 4, 2026:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1608733760765457
Caolan Robertson’s documentary about a farmer
hunted in his fields in Kherson, October 113, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlTnKYTxWOY
November 2025
https://youtu.be/yaAUV3JmxwM?si=JN07Bdby8cG9-dIk
Zarina Zabrisky’s documentary, “Kherson: Human Safari”
New name/edited October 15, 2025
civilian targets
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/10/civilian-targets.html
October 14, 2025
targets
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/10/targets.html
Edited March 16, 2026
Дети – v5
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/03/v5_16.html
Edited September 1, 2025
our complacency is our complicity – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/our-complacency-is-our-complicity_1.html
Edited August 30, 2025
the cost of our silence is measured in children’s lives – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-cost-of-our-silence-is-measured-in_30.html
Edited 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
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, human safari, Putin, murder, children, civilians, war crimes, crimes
against humanity, Mariupol, Kherson, FPV, drones,
#poetry #Ukraine #God #prayer #war #terror #genocide #Russia
#peace #humansafari #Putin #murder #children #civilians #warcrimes
#crimesagainsthumanity #Mariupol #Kherson #FPV #drones #ZarinaZabrisky
#CaolanRobertson
their hearts wouldn’t, won’t let them
this land that they love
this place of their essence...
but choosing to stay anyway,
unwilling to leave their homes
while living in an active war zone...
planted in her rich black soil,
staying when others have departed
seeking to feed the world...
to grow the crops they love,
under the threat of death, terror,
on the land they know so well...
We must support them in this struggle...
Each of them needs to be lifted up
but not just in our prayers...
to the truth of daily terror
too long have they suffered alone
on the land which they love...
Edited September 5, 2026
choosing to stay – v2
inspired by the posts of PhD Viktoriia Zieschank, @Viktoriia Zieschank
https://www.youtube.com/@MEDIAFIXGmbH
a native of Kherson and an agricultural PhD at Kherson State University
and Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University in Kherson for 20 years
and by the work of journalists Zarina Zabrisky and Caolan Robertson
bringing attention to the plight of the people of Kherson
and the farmers of Ukraine under constant attacks by Russia,
the reality of the threat of death through human safaris
Edited August 6, 2026
Human Safari – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/08/human-safari-v2.html
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2084608193645146204
Viral video of Yurii, a 52-year-old vegetable seller,
hunted by a Russian FPV drone in Kherson, Ukraine
Edited August 6, 2026
civilian targets – v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/08/civilian-targets-v3.html
Caolan Robertson’s reel of August 4, 2026:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1608733760765457
Caolan Robertson’s documentary about a farmer
hunted in his fields in Kherson, October 113, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlTnKYTxWOY
November 2025
https://youtu.be/yaAUV3JmxwM?si=JN07Bdby8cG9-dIk
Zarina Zabrisky’s documentary, “Kherson: Human Safari”
New name/edited October 15, 2025
civilian targets
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/10/civilian-targets.html
October 14, 2025
targets
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/10/targets.html
Edited March 16, 2026
Дети – v5
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/03/v5_16.html
Edited September 1, 2025
our complacency is our complicity – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/our-complacency-is-our-complicity_1.html
Edited August 30, 2025
the cost of our silence is measured in children’s lives – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-cost-of-our-silence-is-measured-in_30.html
Edited 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
Poetry Where You Live.
