Take vantage,
heavy eyes,
not to behold
This shameful lodging.
Fortune, good night:
smile once more;
turn thy wheel!
turn thy wheel!
‘Elves’ went to bed.
On Friday night.
With the frightening possibility.
That the US President could.
Be seduced by ‘the One’.
Into offering.
Significant concessions.
On the war.
The wretch that thou
hast blown unto the worst
Owes nothing to thy blasts.
But who comes here?
They woke up.
On Saturday morning.
To find that.
The US President-‘the One’ summit.
In Alaska instead.
Had fizzled out.
Without any strategic.
Or political agreements.
O gods!
Who is’t can say
‘I am at the worst’?
I am worse than e’er I was.
It was a rare example.
Of a failed summit.
Coming as a relief.
Coming as a relief.
In the absence of.
Any real developments.
Attention in Ukraine.
Turned to.
The presentational aspects.
Of the summit.
– the “optics”.
In political speak.
And ‘vorse I may be yet:
the worst is not
So long as we can say
‘This is the worst.’
‘The One’, the man responsible.
For the devastating war.
Of aggression against Ukraine.
Had received.
The warmest welcome.
Possible in Alaska.
American soldiers knelt.
To literally roll out.
The red carpet.
For ‘the One’.
The red carpet.
For ‘the One’.
The wretch that thou
hast blown unto the worst
Owes nothing to thy blasts.
But who comes here?
The US President applauded.
Him as he approached.
And offered.
A friendly handshake.
The two leaders.
Rode together alone in.
The US President’s.
Presidential limousine.
And ‘the One’ could.
Be seen laughing.
Be seen laughing.
As the car pulled away.
O gods!
Who is’t can say
‘I am at the worst’?
I am worse than e’er I was.
For ‘the One’, who has been.
Shunned internationally.
Since his full-scale invasion.
Of Ukraine.
The greeting marked.
The beginning of.
A remarkable return to.
The global diplomatic stage.
And set a tone.
That would continue.
Throughout the day.
Throughout the day.
And ‘vorse I may be yet:
the worst is not
So long as we can say
‘This is the worst.’
In Ukraine.
It was not.
It was not.
A welcome sight.
“Red carpets and.
This level of ceremony.
Are normal.
At international events.”
“But in this case.
– for an aggressor.
Responsible for.
The deaths of millions –”
“It should not.
Have happened.”
Said a woman, 40.
A lawyer in the capital Kyiv.
Fortune, good night:
smile once more;
turn thy wheel!
turn thy wheel!
She woke up and.
Watched the footage.
Over breakfast.
And said it appeared.
And said it appeared.
As though “the entire event.
Was staged to.
Please ‘the One’”.
“The rational world is.
Behaving irrationally.
By giving him.
This welcome.”
The wretch that thou
hast blown unto the worst
Owes nothing to thy blasts.
But who comes here?
‘The One’’s plane.
Had been escorted.
Into the airbase.
In Alaska.
By four American fighter jets.
And as he strolled down.
The red carpet.
Talking jovially.
With the US President.
An American B-2 bomber.
Flew overhead.
Flanked by four more jets.
O gods!
Who is’t can say
‘I am at the worst’?
I am worse than e’er I was.
‘Elves’ who had stayed up.
Late to watch.
The spectacle.
Were seeing the “legitimization.”
“Of a war criminal.
At the highest level”.
Said an ‘elf’ writer and.
Political analyst.
“There was no need.
For this pomp at all.
This is a meeting that.
Should have been conducted.”
“In a much more.
Restrained way.
– minimalistic.
Without this level of respect.”
And ‘vorse I may be yet:
the worst is not
So long as we can say
‘This is the worst.’
After the greetings.
The US President and.
‘The One’ sat down.
In front of.
A gaggle of reporters.
At Elmendorf Air Force Base.
Under a banner that.
Read “Pursuing Peace”.
To be worst,
The lowest and most
dejected thing of fortune,
Stands still in esperance,
A question was shouted.
At ‘the One’:
“Will you stop.
Killing civilians?”
‘The One’ appeared.
To smirk and gestured.
To his ear to suggest.
He couldn’t hear.
lives not in fear;
lives not in fear;
The lamentable change is
from the best;
Along with the smiles.
Laughter, and.
General good will.
On show.
The gesture struck.
The gesture struck.
A very sour note.
In Ukraine.
Where hundreds of thousands.
Have been killed and wounded.
In ‘orcs’ war.
Of aggression.
The worst returns to laughter.
Welcome, then,
Thou unsubstantial air
that I embrace!
“When I saw what happened.
I felt crushed.”
Said a man, 50, from.
The eastern province of Donetsk.
Which has been largely.
Seized by ‘orcs’ forces.
And seen some of the most.
Intense fighting of the war.
The wretch that thou
hast blown unto the worst
Owes nothing to thy blasts.
But who comes here?
“I lost my home twice.
In Sloviansk.
And in Donetsk.
I lost relatives.”
“I understand that.
To agree on something.
There must be protocol.
You cannot just slap.”
“You cannot just slap.
‘The One’ in the face.
When he arrives.
But it was.”
“A very unpleasant spectacle.
– especially his smirks.”
“A very unpleasant spectacle.
– especially his smirks.”
O gods!
Who is’t can say
‘I am at the worst’?
I am worse than e’er I was.
The deference to ‘the One’.
Continued after the negotiations.
In a joint statement.
To the press.
The US President gave way.
To ‘the One’.
To speak first.
He spoke.
For about eight minutes.
Carefully avoiding.
Any mention of.
How the war began.
– with a striking and.
Unprovoked act by ‘orcs’.
– with a striking and.
Unprovoked act by ‘orcs’.
And ‘vorse I may be yet:
the worst is not
So long as we can say
‘This is the worst.’
‘The One’ appeared.
Energetic, satisfied by.
How the summit had gone.
How the summit had gone.
The US President.
By contrast, appeared.
Uncharacteristically deflated.
And spoke.
For barely two minutes.
He could not boast.
Of anything.
Approaching a deal.
– the currency by which.
He tends to operate.
– the currency by which.
He tends to operate.
Fortune, good night:
smile once more;
turn thy wheel!
turn thy wheel!
In a statement.
On Saturday.
‘Gandalf the Green’ stressed.
The importance of.
The importance of.
European leaders.
Being present at.
Every stage of the negotiations.
They are often seen.
As a bulwark.
Against the possibility.
Of the US President.
Being unduly influenced.
By ‘the One’.
Being unduly influenced.
By ‘the One’.
The wretch that thou
hast blown unto the worst
Owes nothing to thy blasts.
But who comes here?
But before that happens.
‘Gandalf the Green’ will head.
On Monday.
Back to Washington.
The scene of his disastrous.
Oval Office clash.
With the US President.
Back in February.
He will be hoping.
For a better outcome.
This time, and.
A path to peace.
A path to peace.
That doesn’t involve.
Surrendering to.
‘Orcs’ aggressive demands.
O gods!
Who is’t can say
‘I am at the worst’?
I am worse than e’er I was.
The US had.
A “wide range of tools”.
A “wide range of tools”.
At its disposal.
To assist Ukraine.
In that mission.
To assist Ukraine.
In that mission.
Said the political analyst.
But pomp and ceremony.
For ‘the One’ should not.
Be among them.
And ‘vorse I may be yet:
the worst is not
So long as we can say
‘This is the worst.’
“Perhaps this was all.
Intended to deceive.
And flatter ‘the One’.
And push him.”
“Into following.
The White House’s strategy.
But I doubt it.
More likely it is.”
“But I doubt it.
More likely it is.
The US President’s whim.
Without any strategy at all.”
Take vantage,
heavy eyes,
not to behold
This shameful lodging.
Fortune, good night:
smile once more;
turn thy wheel!
turn thy wheel!
*Because I read “’The world is behaving irrationally’ – Putin’s warm welcome gets cold reaction in Ukraine” by Joel Gunter on 16 Aug 2025, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, including a story of Drachova, a story of Kovalenko, and a story of Orlyk, led by ‘KING LEAR’ written by William Shakespeare, you know.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Putin’s warm welcome in Alaska gets cold reaction in Ukraine
