He “had no idea”.
That after achieving independence.
His country would one day be at war.
With his country’s closest neighbour.
He was “sure we’d be friends with our neighbours”.
“Trust me, I had no idea.
That our closest neighbour would turn out.
To be the most impudent and cunning one.”
“We’re with the power of light.
And light is definitely more powerful than darkness.”
“We will defeat the Orcs, and trust me.
The country of Mordor will disintegrate into separate statelets.
“We will definitely see its disintegration.
And we’ll stay united and independent.”
People across Ukraine have been marking Independence Day.
A day which coincides with the six-month anniversary of the ‘orcs’ invasion.
*Because I read “’Betrayed by our closest neighbour’ – Ukrainian defence minister” (-Live Reporting- Edited by Andrew Humphrey) on 24 Aug 2022 on the BBC news, like this:
“Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov says he “had no idea” that after achieving independence his country would one day be at war with Russia.
Speaking in a live interview with Ukrainian TV, Reznikov said that after the USSR collapsed in 1991 he was “sure we’d be friends with our neighbours”.
“Trust me, I had no idea that our closest neighbour would turn out to be the most impudent and cunning one,” he says.
The Ukrainian defence minister used imagery from JRR Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings to add that he was convinced of Ukraine’s victory.
Russian troops have been referred to as “Orcs” (the soldiers of the Dark Lord of Middle Earth) on social media by Ukrainians since the invasion.
“We’re with the power of light, and light is definitely more powerful than darkness,” says Reznikov.
“We will defeat the Orcs, and trust me, the country of Mordor will disintegrate into separate statelets.
“We will definitely see its disintegration. And we’ll stay united and independent.””
Ukraine war latest: World leaders back Ukraine’s ‘brave fight’ as it marks independence – BBC News
And also “Memorial service for fallen soldiers takes place in Ukraine” in the same Live Reporting on 24 Aug 2022 on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem.
**My friend shows you this poem also on the Ukrainian website for their children and others!
Please join them!
***And it’s my great pleasure to tell you; here is a video that Elyzaveta Slyusarenko reads this poem on YouTube.