Ukraine



Ukraine
by Maxwell "Max" Sebastian Burchett

It is said and now I believe,
Only the dead have seen the end of war.
There is no end it seems
To the horrors and death from the scourge of war.

When the ambitions of men collide
With the conflicts in the tapestry of life,
The god of war reigns supreme
In the name of honor and glory and strife.

Peace everlasting it seems
Is but a dream.
War is the fate of man
“Peace in our time," a Siren song.

Just at our fingertips, time and again
Peace slips just out of reach of men.
From stumbles and paths they miss
Sleepwalking into the abyss.

Those never knowing war
Sleep in bliss, not seeing the tragic end.
Rulers and tsars playing a deadly game from afar,
But war’s suffering is an all-consuming fire.

Against evil, can peace prevail?
The past says not, lest evil spread.
The way out is to resist
Tyranny at its start.

Can peace be ours, even if briefly so?
Only if we strive again and again
To lessen the conflicts of men
And to reason with wisdom and skill with those of goodwill.

Seek peace, yet be prepared.
Pray your child is spared.
Keep hope in your heart.
Pray war shall end and peace shall start.

About this poem

The poem "Ukraine" reflects on the nature of war and the struggles humanity faces in achieving lasting peace. The poet acknowledges the tragic reality that only the dead have truly witnessed the end of war, implying that conflict seems to persist endlessly. The horrors and death resulting from war are presented as a relentless scourge, suggesting that it is an ongoing cycle of suffering. The poem questions whether peace can triumph against the backdrop of pervasive evil. The past is cited as a testament to the difficulty of containing evil, suggesting that resistance to tyranny from its inception is key. The sentiment of retaining hope even amid darkness is underscored, and the closing lines call for the cessation of war and the advent of lasting peace. 

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Written on 2022

Submitted by MaxwellBurchett on August 14, 2023

Modified by MaxwellBurchett on October 17, 2023

1:13 min read
1,762

Quick analysis:

Scheme AX XBCB XDED CEXX AFGG BXXX XXXH XAFX IIHH
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,159
Words 247
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 2, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Maxwell Sebastian Burchett

Maxwell "Max" Sebastian Burchett is president of the charity Golden Hearts that provides support to Ukrainian war refugees. He originated the "Good Day" concept and is leading the campaign to establish "Good Day" as a designated day, nationally recognized as "a day for doing a little extra good." Max is a singer-songwriter from Dallas, Texas. His poems "Until Then" and "I Dream" have been used as lyrics in pop songs of the same names (https://soundcloud.com/maxburchett/i-dream). His music and writing were featured on UK Talk Radio and on their website (https://uktalkradio.org/max-burchett-dog-days/). His writing interests include fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Most recently Max has included in his poetry and non-fiction publications themes developed from his work with Ukrainian war refugees. His poetry style has been influenced by the greats, including Frost, Elliot, Poe and Whitman. Max's short story “Covid Love” was featured in the July 2023, 111th issue of 34thParallel Magazine (https://www.34thparallel.net/34mag-111.html) and his "New Frontiers" poetry trilogy was featured in the October 2023 issue of INTERALIA Magazine (https://www.interaliamag.org/poetry/maxwell-sebastian-burchett-poems/). His romance mystery novel on post-Putin Russia “Red Star Rising” is releasing as serial episodes on Kindle and an anthology of his poems will be released later this year. and an anthology of his poems will be released later this year. Max's poems "Me to You" and "Three Whispered Words" are included in the anthology 'Is there Ever an End' published in November 2023 (https://www.amazon.com/There-Ever-End-Various/dp/B0CNZKNSN7). Max Burchett and his brother started delivering food and letters of encouragement to staff at local hospitals during covid, and that grew into the charity Golden Hearts. After covid the charity’s efforts were refocused on helping Ukrainian war refugees, and the homeless, who are basically refugees in their own country. His observations from work with war refugees and the homeless have led him to write stories and songs that attempt to convey the situation to a broader audience. more…

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    "Ukraine" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/168492/ukraine>.

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