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on memory
lone sentry at easeevery church goer must passson of the village ~ n.b. At Itteringham, Norfolk, lies 30035 Serjeant LWW Gotts, Royal Garrison Artillery, 26th July 1916. Not for him a place tucked away amongst the accumulated masses of the parish, but a place where he cannot be over-looked, nor forgotten. Age 25 at the →
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on Ukraine
as if Gaza wasn’t bad enoughand the perpetual terrorismof Moscow’s henchmenthe eyes of Europe and the USAare now distractedby tennis, cricket, football, ice hockey, the Stanley Cup, baseball and Olympicsgames to replace conflictwith civilising pastimesnow acting as smokescreens~n.b. In previous wartimes, games were suspended, but now having loaned Ukraine $50 billion, plus interest, the ‘free’ →
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on Ukraine
now it reaches outconsuming children at playbeyond all reason ~ n.b. What military people might call an advance, is in truth, a retreat into depravity. The attack on Kryvyi Rih is an act of terrorism. CLP 12/06/2024 →
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on Ukraine
Slithering boaconstrictor tightens its holdTears of frustration ~ n.b. In Moscow, the New York Times reports, ‘victory’ is a word often heard. The fight goes on. Where is a peace plan? Peace cannot come without an even balancing of power. Russia will not stop unless its army is halted. Where will that line be drawn? →
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on time
Eighty years ago, tonightSuffolk fields heard the roarOf engines fired upAs the 446th took off for FranceFor libertyThey led the lineInto Fortress Europe n.b. This memorial stands at the site of the disused airbase, near Flixton, Suffolk. No names given, just the numbers: 66 aircraft lost, 456 men killed in action. ‘Remember them’ we’re told. →
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on Ukraine
This dreadful summerLonger, dry daysLighter, warm nightsFog of war persists~n.b. Still Moscow sends its sons to kill or be killed on Ukraine’s soil. Go home! CLP 02/06/2024 →
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on Ukraine
Furious they areSwiss hold onto dirty cashRather than hide it~ n.b. Russia ‘furious’ that even Switzerland has frozen Russian assets, the BBC reports. The rest of us are surprised, to say the least. A shift in attitude of the mountain folk, who have many friends in Russia. Malta, Mexico, Israel, Cyprus. Is the world changing →
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on Ukraine
What is the problem?He asks The West quite rightly‘You’re our canary’ ~ n.b. Miners used to take a canary into the shafts and galleries to help identify the odourless poison gases underground. Those canaries saved a lot of miners, but a lot of canaries never made it out alive. CLP 21/05/2024 →
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On Ukraine
I thought if you played acoustic guitarthat meant you were a protest singerMorrissey sangHow wrong could one be?Did Blinken learn to playDylan, Lennon or Pete SeegerSongs at university? ~ n.b. The most bizarre dead cat story. At a critical point in the Ukraine War, correspondents devote time to the US Secretary of State strumming an →
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on Ukraine
There is a game calledDiplomacy in which theBiggest army wins ~ n.b. Piece by piece, village by village, it seems that Ukraine cannot cover all its bases alone. Into the third year of conflict, where will a line be drawn? Where is the wall that stops Russia? CLP 12/05/2024 →
Journey of Words 