Poetry Where You Live

Tuesday, September 02, 2025

Stumbling into #War #WWIII #Russia #EU #NATO

A real existential threat is growing
as we turn a blind eye to their desires,
their acts of war growing bolder, stronger,
seeking to decapitate the continent,
to destabilize, to sow division within the circle,
to prey on their addiction to oil, to gas,
to seize power by sabotage, by assassination…
Russia is not constrained by Europe’s collective power,
by a will that is stronger than their ambition,
a coalition of the willing but the timid
Stumbling into war, Armageddon…

Do they even realize their error, their complacency,
their complicity in genocide, in their own destruction,
blindly thinking that invasion, terror, could never happen to them,
When history shows they were, that we are in an Age of Empires,
where might defines right, where genocide is not stopped,
where their fear of escalation is exactly what will cause war,
that they are stumbling into a global Armageddon,
thinking falsely that Putin will suddenly stop,
that he will be satisfied with Ukraine…
He is a madman, evil, a mass murderer.
He wants to recreate the Russian Empire…

-----------
September 2, 2025

Stumbling into War

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/stumbling-into-war.html

Weak or non-existent response of Europe to Acts of War by Russia
and continuing delay in sanctions by Donald Trump
September 1, 2025, Russian GPS jamming of a plane carrying the European Union President
Ursula von der Leyen
And on September 1, 2025, Germany’s military inspector general, Carsten Breue
and the assassination of former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy

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.

poetry, Ukraine, Russia, genocide, EU, NATO,

#poetry #Ukraine #Russia #assassination #EU #NATO

Across the plane of the #petals – v4 #flowers #God #creation

I stopped to capture beauty, an image…
Drawn into memory, history, legacy,
motion froze in time, still air
The flower not moving…
Serenity in the stillness, momentarily,
Sunlight bathed upon the blossom,
across the plane of the petals,
all in capturing the focus, clarity,
breathing, drinking it all in…

Perfection in every detail,
subtle hints of shadow,
depth in millimeters, precision,
sunlight revealing a moving wave,
all drawn into focus, depth of field…
flatness of the blossom
diving in ever more closely
holding my breath, steady,
for the perfect shot…

When we stop, when we look more closely,
We see the world differently, wonder,
in precision, close-up, closer,
the intricate precision, the Creator’s plan…
Lowering my body, my eyes, my lens,
across the plane of the petals,
stopping even for a moment…
Beauty alive in the still air
just off the front porch…

Velvet, satin, a soft living fabric,
Speaking the words of texture
without touching, disturbing the moment,
Eternity cut by the Creator, such precision,
formed within the unfolding kernel,
across the plan of the petals…
The center rising, a prima ballerina,
Ache of stopped motion, frozen,
poised like a spinning top…

Across the plane of the petals,
illumined in the warm sunlight,
seeing the beauty God created…
Slowing my steps toward the door,
pausing from my motion…
A moment too important to lose…
Seeing the world stopped, frozen,
taking time to notice, to marvel at
the work of our Potter’s hand…

------------
Edited September 2, 2025

Across the plane of the petals – v4

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/across-plane-of-petals-v4.html

Edited September 1, 2025
Across the plane of the petals - v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/across-plane-of-petals-v3.html
Edited September 1, 2025
Across the plane of the petals – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/across-plane-of-petals-v2.html
August 30, 2025
Across the plane of the petals
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/across-plane-of-petals.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.

-----------
poetry, flower, God, blossom, photography, macrophotography, creation,

#poetry #flower #God #photography

Decapitation – v2 #assassination #EU #NATO #Russia #WWIII

We see the attacks committed,
multiple threats on the radar screen,
between the warring nations,
assassination attempts on the leaders,
of targeted military commanders,
those who have committed war crimes,
on former politicians, leaders,
seeking their destruction…

But we must be honest about wider threats,
an escalation in the conflict, in the terror,
decapitation, premeditated murder,
outside the boundaries of the combatants,
threats to the European continent,
on the entire rules-based order,
Hybrid war is becoming kinetic
flammable liquids at their flash point…

Will the leaders understand the existential risk
in limited responses to terror, to these attacks,
when the whole world is on a hair-trigger,
not seeing the dominoes lined up, falling,
acts of war brushed aside as annoyance,
a Sword of Damocles hanging above them…
One false step can lead to Armageddon,
a plane crashing to the earth…

--------

Edited September 2, 2025

Decapitation – v2

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/decapitation-v2.html

September 1, 2025, Russian GPS jamming of a plane carrying the European Union President

Ursula von der Leyen

And on September 1, 2025, Germany’s military inspector general, Carsten Breue

and the assassination of former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy

Edited January 3, 2025
Hybrid War is War – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/01/hybrid-war-is-war-v2.html
Edited September 1, 2025
Since the Fall of the Iron Curtain – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/since-fall-of-iron-curtain-v2.html
September 1, 2025
our complacency is our complicity
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/our-complacency-is-our-complicity.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 August 28, 2025
Дети – v4
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/v4.html
Edited 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
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
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

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.

-------------
poetry, Ukraine, Russia, genocide, EU, NATO,

#poetry #Ukraine #Russia #genocide #EU #NATO

Monday, September 01, 2025

Decapitation #EU #NATO #EuropeanUnion #Russia #HybridWar

We see the attacks committed,
multiple threats on the radar,
between the warring nations,
assassination attempts on the leaders,
of targeted military commanders,
of seeking their destruction…

But we must be honest about wider threats,
decapitation, premeditated murder,
outside the boundaries of the combatants,
threats to the European continent,
Hybrid war is becoming kinetic
flammable liquids at the flash point…

Will the leaders understand the risk
in limited responses to terror, to attack,
acts of war brushed aside as annoyance,
when the whole world is on a hair-trigger,
One false step can lead to Armageddon,
a plane crashing to the earth…

-------
September 1, 2025
Decapitation
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/decapitation.html

September 1, 2025, Russian GPS jamming of a plane carrying the European Union President
Ursula von der Leyen
And on September 1, 2025, Germany’s military inspector general, Carsten Breue
and the assassination of former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy
Edited January 3, 2025
Hybrid War is War – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/01/hybrid-war-is-war-v2.html
Edited September 1, 2025
Since the Fall of the Iron Curtain – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/since-fall-of-iron-curtain-v2.html
September 1, 2025
our complacency is our complicity
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/our-complacency-is-our-complicity.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 August 28, 2025
Дети – v4
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/v4.html
Edited 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
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
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

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.

poetry, Ukraine, Russia, genocide, EU,

#poetry #Ukraine #Russia #genocide #EU

Since the Fall of the Iron Curtain – v2 #SovietUnion #Russia #Evil #Enemy #NATO #EU

We are still in the middle, in the crucible,
an ancient battle of oppositional ideologies
of repression and democracy, freedom,
an existential struggle on the continent of Europe
Capitalism and Communism are warring,
quietly, yet not at peace…

Our enemy became our ally,
not because we trusted them,
for a moment of necessity
to defeat a greater evil;
But we paid an awful price, still,
bound by Mutually Assured Destruction…

We know who our one enemy is,
the Soviet Union, now Russia,
since the Fall of the Iron Curtain
the threat Churchill warned us about…
The continent of Europe was partitioned
between the free and the enslaved…

We are blind; we put our heads in the sand,
not prepared to face the truth honestly,
as if we believe “Never Again” isn’t now…
Hybrid War is War, every act of terror,
bound for escalation, provocation,
Empire, Genocide is their goal…

We must shake off our cowardice,
We must choose to become their ally,
to finally Stand With Ukraine in the fight,
because they are fighting for our freedom,
for a just peace that will last,
for the defeat of our one enemy…

-------
Edited September 1, 2025
Since the Fall of the Iron Curtain – v2

September 1, 2025
our complacency is our complicity
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/our-complacency-is-our-complicity.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 August 28, 2025
Дети – v4
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/v4.html
Edited 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
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
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

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.

------------
poetry, Ukraine, Russia, genocide,

#poetry #Ukraine #Russia #genocide

#Dance – v6

She is held within the trunk, her branches,
even though her form may be hidden, silent…
She reveals herself to a few lucky ones,
drawn to her aura, her captured dance,
seeing how she spins effortlessly…
Stopping to see her movement,
though the dawn yet calls me,
her dance in mid-step, a snapshot,
moving in her spirit, in her soul…

Her body is in motion, eternally
yet static, anchored to this earth
her feet in the hard-packed sand,
rooted in the coral underneath
standing in their front yard…
But she is moving ever, silently,
slower, faster, spinning, performing,
twirling in her spirit, in her soul…

She is a dancer frozen, alive,
as Eisenstaedt would have caught her
in mid-twirl, in a jump, airborne,
not “At the barre”, but in motion,
displaying her femininity, her power...
She is rising, dancing yet posing, freezing,
a perfect plié, a pirouette, a leap,
ascending, in her spirit, in her soul…

Her lines may be hidden,
her supple body covered
under a bulky uniform of bark,
obscured by a hedge of branches…
But her body is still moving,
dancing, performing,
twisting, turning, alive,
human, in her spirit, in her soul…

------------------
Edited September 1, 2025

Dance – v6

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/dance-v6.html

October 28, 2021
dance
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2021/10/dance.html
seemingly dead tree across from our unit

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.

poetry, God, creation, Florida, St. Augustine, palm trees, angels, branches, Maleficent, wings, cedar, dance, dancer, ballet, waltz,

#poetry #God #Florida #StAugustine #cedar #dance #dancer #ballet #waltz

Since the Fall of the Iron Curtain #SovietUnion #Russia #Evil #Enemy #NATO #EU

An ancient battle of ideologies
of repression and democracy, freedom,
struggle on the continent of Europe
Capitalism and Communism are warring,
quietly, yet not at peace…

Our enemy became our ally
for a moment of necessity
to defeat a greater evil;
But we paid an awful price
bound by Mutually Assured Destruction…

We know who our one enemy is,
the Soviet Union, now Russia,
since the Fall of the Iron Curtain
The continent of Europe was partitioned
between the free and the enslaved…

We are blind; we put our heads in the sand,
as if we believe Never Again isn’t now, already,
Hybrid War is War, every act of terror,
bound for escalation, provocation,
Genocide is their goal…

We must choose to become their ally,
to finally Stand With Ukraine,
because they are fighting for our freedom,
for a just peace that will last,
for the defeat of our one enemy…

----------
September 1, 2025
Since the Fall of the Iron Curtain

September 1, 2025
our complacency is our complicity
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/our-complacency-is-our-complicity.html
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
July 10, 2025 - Human safari FPV drone targeting a one-year-old in Kherson
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
August 28, 2025
Дети – v4
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/v4.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
April 14, 2025
Screaming into the Void – v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/04/screaming-into-void-v3.html
April 11, 2025
Kryvyi Rih – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/04/kryvyi-rih-v2-kryvyi-rih-not-just.html
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

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.

poetry, Ukraine, Russia, Putin, murder, terror, genocide, children,

#poetry #Ukraine #Russia #Putin #murder #terror #genocide #children

our complacency is our complicity #SovietUnion #Russia #Evil #Enemy #NATO #EU

We know who our enemy has been since the Cold War,
for decades, the truth has been self-evident,
We call war by euphemisms, murder is called aggression,
Russia, the Soviet Union, seeks to destroy the West,
Putin wants to defeat our culture, our nations,
to subjugate a continent, to rule over peoples
to build a widening Russian empire…
We say we Stand With Ukraine,
yet we stand way in the back,
Unwilling to speak of Victory…

Now, in this moment, four Autumns now
after the brutal invasion, their genocide,
eleven years since Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk,
four falls after Bucha, Mariupol,
premeditated murders of children…
Our complacency is our complicity,
an indictment against NATO, America,
over every silent nation state,
talking about sending peacekeepers
When now is the time to fight…

--------
September 1, 2025
our complacency is our complicity
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/09/our-complacency-is-our-complicity.html
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
July 10, 2025 - Human safari FPV drone targeting a one-year-old in Kherson
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 August 28, 2025
Дети – v4
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2025/08/v4.html
Edited 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
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
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

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.

-------------
poetry, Ukraine, Russia, Putin, murder, terror, genocide, children,

#poetry #Ukraine #Russia #Putin #murder #terror #genocide #children

Poetry Where You Live

Tuesday, September 02, 2025

Stumbling into #War #WWIII #Russia #EU #NATO

Across the plane of the #petals – v4 #flowers #God #creation

Decapitation – v2 #assassination #EU #NATO #Russia #WWIII

Monday, September 01, 2025

Decapitation #EU #NATO #EuropeanUnion #Russia #HybridWar

Since the Fall of the Iron Curtain – v2 #SovietUnion #Russia #Evil #Enemy #NATO #EU

#Dance – v6

Since the Fall of the Iron Curtain #SovietUnion #Russia #Evil #Enemy #NATO #EU

our complacency is our complicity #SovietUnion #Russia #Evil #Enemy #NATO #EU

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