Betrayal

Windsurfer
balances
breeze and
sail

Stands
confident in
position
of authority

Refreshed
by spray
on tanned
gym-monkey torso
vanity
justified

Evacuation
of Kabul
stutters
pending
Minister's
approval

Afghan allies
require
visas to
escape
Taliban's
vengeful advance

Windsurfer
gybes
cock-sure
of judgement
power

Calls from
ministry
officials
can wait
their papers
will be read
later

Aircraft
depart
half-empty
such precious
equipment
cannot
be lost

Loyality
to the
democratic
creed
only flows
one-way
and can
cost you
everything

~

n.b. NaPoWriMo 2023. Day 20 prompt take an abstract noun from the list and write in short lines and brief stanzas.

News events here, the resignation of a bully from HM Government, brings to mind his appalling neglect of duty when the USA and British forces were told to flee from Afghanistan, as Taliban forces descended on Kabul.

The man, who was British Foreign Minister at the time of the crisis, refused to return from his holiday in Crete, so he might work closely with officials trying to evacuate translators and other Afghani people, who had worked closely with the UK military forces there.

It is known that the lack of leadership and subsequently poor coordination of resources within the Foreign Office led to the abandonment of men and women, who were later imprisoned, tortured and killed for having worked with the British, who had tried to support USA efforts to bring democracy to the war ravished country.

CLP 21/04/2023

5 Comments

  1. If poems could kill…

    1. Pen vs sword and all that.

    2. By the way, Jane, I heard a remarkable cover of Heroes today, by a band dubiously called, The Loving Handful. Bluegrass, Hill Billy, nine piece (fiddle, ukulele, mandolin, double bass, etc. They also did something quite incredible to Blitzkrieg Bop!

      1. I’ll have to look that one up. There’s a couple of French singers revisiting a whole load of Bowie songs at one of the big music festivals here (Printemps de Bourges I think). I definitely won’t be listening to that.

  2. Romana Iorga says:

    Humans are capable of such cruelty toward one another… I like the alternation of the serene windsurfing scenes with the chaotic and cowardly Afghan evacuation.

Comments are closed.