John E Marks

Russia is burning

Sunday 28th August 2022 12:10 am (first posted Saturday 27th August 2022 11:13 pm)

Western propaganda never varies
Blame Russia, not the Fascists.
Anna Akhmatova lived through
The Great Patriotic War
Knew all about the Ukrainian
14th Waffen Grenadier Division
of the SS (1st Galician)
The 26 million Soviet dead
Required to defeat the Fascists.
For Anna Akhmatova the Red Army
Defended the Russian language
as well as Russian soil
Poems written by Red Army soldiers
published in newspapers and broadcast on the radio.
Alexei Surkov’s ‘In the Dugout’
Konstantin Simonov’s ‘Wait for Me’ were turned into popular songs.
The Russian defence of Stalingrad
was granite-courage. Such sharp snipers.
Defending Pushkin's house.
Would the US welcome Russian troops
And armaments on the Mexican border?
Of course they would!
NATO expects Russia should
Accept the languor of death
Like an undeserved rest
They will be disappointed: that much is true.

🌷(2)

◄ The Stolen Child

The dictatorship of the bureaucrats ►

Comments

Adam Whitworth

Sun 28th Aug 2022 23:53

I really don't see what the furure is all about.
People must be allowed to remember with something like pride the millions who have died repelling fascism.
I'm glad to hear of poems being broadcast on the radio and turned into popular songs, glad to hear people were moved to defend Pushkin's house.
Without the last seven lines isn't this an interesting and 'worthy' poem? I'm assuming these are the lines giving offense, I think no more than so many other unnecessary 'rant' style outbursts giving both barrels to Donut Trump or that moron Boris so many lovely folks voted for.
I'm happy to skim over the 'rant' indulgences if there is art of any value in other parts of the attempt. No poem's perfect.

John Marks

Sun 28th Aug 2022 20:46

Greg. You really should take a more than cursory look at spiked, maybe read a few articles even, what do you think? It is a contrarian publication and its raison d'être is to challenge lazy thinking.

After reading this online mag consistently for most of a decade I always feel challenged by its point of view. Sometimes I agree, often I don't. It describes itself thus: "spiked is the magazine that wants to change the world as well as report on it. Edited by Tom Slater, and launched in 2001, it is irreverent where others conform, questioning where others wallow in received wisdom, and radical where others cling to the status quo.

At a time when it is fashionable to cancel ‘problematic’ people, to sideline voters when they give the ‘wrong’ answer, and to treat human beings as a drain on the planet, we put the case for human endeavour, the expansion of democracy, and freedom of speech with no ifs or buts.

Our motto is ‘question everything’ – or as the New York Times put it, we are ‘the often-biting British publication fond of puncturing all manner of ideological balloons’."

"People should know that your views are contaminated by extremely rightwing websites. Please keep their poison off our pages in future." Greg Freeman

Greg Freeman

Sun 28th Aug 2022 19:18

"It merely, and carefully, raises the prospect that there may be a variety of points of view." Would you have said the same at the time of Hitler, John? Maybe you would. You don't seem to appreciate that this poem is in danger of casting you as an apologist for genocide. Claiming ' free speech' to spread your views is all very well. Putin certainly doesn't believe in it. I notice that this is the second time, to my knowledge, that you have quoted a website called Spiked in support of your views. I've taken a look at it, and, predictably, I don't like it. People should know that your views are contaminated by extremely rightwing websites. Please keep their poison off our pages in future.

John Marks

Sun 28th Aug 2022 18:52

Thank you Ray. This poem does not provide answers as to the facts of this terrible conflict - that will be done by history. It merely, and carefully, raises the prospect that there may be a variety of points of view. Putin is not Russia and we need to be careful we do not conflate them. The title of the poem 'Russia is Burning' points to the damage that is being done to Russia by this conflict. As to personal insults, I treat them with the disdain they deserve.

"On social media people have tried to turn Ukraine into a kind of storyline. Matthew Dowd, who describes himself as a ‘thought leader, writer, analyst’, reduced the war to the good-vs-evil tale of Star Wars."

https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/03/25/the-war-in-ukraine-is-not-all-about-us/

raypool

Sun 28th Aug 2022 11:17

War brings out the worst and the best in people, but dictators have their own agenda, often catalysts for violent change and social disruption. Also, if we look back we can see advantages in science triggered by the need for defence and also for aggression which add in to the sum of human experience, often with great suffering as a result though. Sad to admit it, but we can't seem to prevent such cyclical events by reason or rationale. Everyone needs a voice however strident and freedom of comment should by expressed even in the face of revulsion. My opinion only.

Greg Freeman

Sun 28th Aug 2022 09:21

The point is, John, we all know how Russia suffered - and eventually triumphed - during the second world war. We don't need any history lessons. Putin is now squandering all that heroism, with genocide and barbarism. He is the fascist now.

Reggie's Ghost

Sun 28th Aug 2022 08:35

John Marks - Defender of the Oppressed!

kJ Walker

Sun 28th Aug 2022 08:31

As if I wasn't already angry enough at what is happening to the innocent people of Ukraine, now I've been subjected to reading this shite
I know that WOL is a poetry site, and as such is impartial in matters of politics and religion, but posts like this really have no place on here.

Graham Sherwood

Sun 28th Aug 2022 00:49

This piece seems inappropriate in the current climate. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be proud of myself putting my name to it. Sad!

Greg Freeman

Sun 28th Aug 2022 00:23

Are you saying that the Russian atrocities perpetrated in its invasion of Ukraine are just lies, propaganda disseminated by the west? Are you saying that just because Ukraine doesn't want to be swallowed up by Russia, that it would like a different future, then Putin the assassin and poisoner has the right to flatten apartments and cities, hurl cruise missiles at market and railway station crowds? Never forget Stalin's pact with Hitler, if we're talking about history. But maybe you are not a real person at all, just a Kremlin bot.

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