on Ukraine

In 1948, Steinbeck in A Russian Journal wrote of the Ukrainian people:

They spoke anxiously of war, they had so much of it.

Our towns are destroyed already
what more can it do?

We will defend ourselves
in the snow
and in the forests
and in the fields

What was a moment in history
is now a way of life
What is the prize
these invaders seek?
What is the point of it all?

~

CLP 05/06/2025