So she began rather timidly:
‘Am I addressing
the White Queen?’
‘Well, yes, if you call that
a-dressing,’ the Queen said.
‘It isn’t my notion
of the thing, at all.’
Alice thought
it would never do
to have an argument
at the very beginning of
their conversation,
so she smiled and said,
‘If your Majesty will only
tell me the right way to begin,
I’ll do it as well as I can.’
The optics could not.
The optics could not.
Have been more different.
This time.
Unlike the shockingly.
Ill-tempered previous.
Meeting in February.
The US President and.
The US President and.
‘Gandalf the Green’ seemed.
Determined not to.
Look confrontational.
– despite their.
Remaining differences.
– despite their.
Remaining differences.
‘But I don’t want it done at all!’
groaned the poor Queen.
‘I’ve been a-dressing myself
for the last two hours.’
It would have been all the better,
as it seemed to Alice,
if she had got some one else
to dress her,
‘Gandalf the Green’ wore.
A collared suit.
(although not of.
The classical variety).
And the US President.
Complimented his attire.
‘Gandalf the Green’ also.
Repeatedly said “thank you”.
Which must have pleased.
His host, too.
Which must have pleased.
His host, too.
she was so dreadfully untidy.
‘Every single thing’s crooked,’
Alice thought to herself,
‘and she’s all over pins!
‘and she’s all over pins!
– May I put your shawl
straight for you?’
she added aloud.
At his opening appearance.
In the Oval Office.
‘Gandalf the Green’ spoke little.
– or maybe he was not keen to.
Fearing that what.
He had to say was.
Different from what.
The US President wanted to hear.
‘I don’t know
what’s the matter with it!’
the Queen said,
in a melancholy voice.
‘It’s out of temper, I think.
I’ve pinned it here,
and I’ve pinned it there,
but there’s no pleasing it!’
Differences showed later.
When the US President and.
‘Gandalf the Green’ appeared.
Before journalists.
Together with.
European leaders.
The German Chancellor.
And the French President.
Both said a ceasefire.
In Ukraine.
Should be the next step.
Even though the US President.
Had argued that.
It was not necessary.
Before a more permanent.
Solution is found.
‘It can’t go straight, you know,
if you pin it
all on one side,’
Alice said,
as she gently put it
right for her;
‘and, dear me,
what a state your hair is in!’
‘Gandalf the Green’ remained.
Conspicuously quiet.
On the issue.
On the issue.
What we heard from.
The leaders suggests that.
Their discussions.
Behind closed doors.
Focused on.
Security guarantees.
For Ukraine.
And prospects.
And prospects.
For a meeting.
Between ‘Gandalf the Green’.
And ‘the One’.
‘The brush has got
entangled in it!’
the Queen said with a sigh.
‘And I lost the comb yesterday.’
Alice carefully
released the brush,
and did her best to get
the hair into order.
No details were revealed.
About what guarantees.
Were discussed or.
How being face-to-face.
How being face-to-face.
In the same room.
With ‘the One’.
Will help end the war.
But following the day.
Of talks.
‘Gandalf the Green’ described.
Security guarantees.
Security guarantees.
As a necessary.
“Starting point.
For ending war”.
‘Come, you look
rather better now!’ she said,
after altering
most of the pins.
‘But really you should
have a lady’s-maid!’
‘But really you should
have a lady’s-maid!’
At an earlier news conference.
Outside the White House.
He said security guarantees.
Could include.
A $90bn deal.
Between Kyiv and Washington.
To acquire US weapons.
To acquire US weapons.
Including aviation systems.
Anti-missile systems.
And other weapons.
He declined to disclose.
‘I’m sure I’ll
take you with pleasure!’
the Queen said.
‘Twopence a week,
‘Twopence a week,
and jam every other day.’
Alice couldn’t help laughing,
as she said,
‘Gandalf the Green’ also said.
The US would purchase.
‘Elves’ drones.
Which would help.
Boost domestic production.
Of the unmanned aircraft.
Though no formal agreement.
Has been reached.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
A deal could be.
Worked out over.
The next 10 days.
‘I don’t want you
to hire me
– and I don’t care for jam.’
‘It’s very good jam,’
‘It’s very good jam,’
said the Queen.
‘Well, I don’t want any to-day,
at any rate.’
‘Gandalf the Green’, however.
Was more willing to talk.
About his possible meeting.
With ‘the One’.
Telling reporters.
He was ready to meet.
Directly with ‘the One’.
And if Moscow agreed.
And if Moscow agreed.
The US President could.
The US President could.
Join the negotiations.
‘The One’ has so far resisted.
A direct meeting.
With ‘Gandalf the Green’.
With ‘Gandalf the Green’.
‘You couldn’t have it
if you did want it,’
the Queen said.
‘The rule is,
‘The rule is,
jam to-morrow and
jam yesterday
– but never jam to-day.’
“Ukraine will never stop.
On the way to peace.”
He told reporters.
Adding that no date had been set.
One issue the leaders.
Seemed reluctant to bring up.
Before the media were possible.
Territorial concessions by Ukraine.
‘It must come sometimes
to “jam to-day,”’
Alice objected.
‘No, it can’t,’
‘No, it can’t,’
said the Queen.
‘It’s jam every other day:
to-day isn’t any other day, you know.’
‘Gandalf the Green’ also.
Mentioned how he showed.
His US counterpart.
A map of Ukraine.
A map of Ukraine.
Stressing that ‘Mordor’.
Has managed to occupy.
Less than 1%.
Less than 1%.
Of the ‘elves’ territory.
In the last 1,000 days.
In the last 1,000 days.
This was news to.
The White House, he said.
And it helped swing.
The US President’s mood, apparently.
‘I don’t understand you,’
said Alice.
‘It’s dreadfully confusing!’
‘That’s the effect
of living backwards,’
the Queen said kindly:
‘it always makes one
a little giddy at first –’
“I have been fighting with.
What is on that map.”
‘Gandalf the Green’.
Told reporters.
Adding that he pushed.
Back on what.
The Oval Office map showed.
As ‘orcs’-captured territories.
“It isn’t possible to say.
This much territory has been.
Taken over this time.
These points are important.”
‘Living backwards!’
Alice repeated
in great astonishment.
‘I never heard of such a thing!’
‘- but there’s one
great advantage in it,
that one’s memory
works both ways.’
‘Gandalf the Green’ seemed.
Mostly upbeat.
About his latest.
White House appearance.
Describing his meeting.
With the US President.
As “warm”.
As “warm”.
His optimism, however.
Appeared deliberate.
As he sought to avoid.
A repeat.
Of his last Oval Office visit.
And convince his American hosts.
To embrace the European position.
On ending the war.
‘I’m sure mine only works
one way,’ Alice remarked.
‘I can’t remember
things before they happen.’
‘It’s a poor sort
of memory that
only works backwards,’
the Queen remarked.
But perhaps the key.
Outcome of the trip was.
That it helped Ukraine.
To buy more time.
The call that the US President.
Had with ‘the One’.
Following his first meeting.
With the European leaders.
Suggests that.
‘Mordor’ has managed.
To do just the same.
To do just the same.
‘What sort of things
do you remember best?’
Alice ventured to ask.
‘Oh, things that happened
‘Oh, things that happened
the week after next,’
the Queen replied
in a careless tone.
Despite widespread fears.
No catastrophe has happened.
At the summits.
In Alaska and Washington.
– at least nothing from.
What has been made public.
The status quo remains.
The status quo remains.
So she began rather timidly:
‘Am I addressing
the White Queen?’
‘Well, yes, if you call that
a-dressing,’ the Queen said.
‘It isn’t my notion
of the thing, at all.’
Alice thought
it would never do
to have an argument
at the very beginning of
their conversation,
so she smiled and said,
‘If your Majesty will only
tell me the right way to begin,
I’ll do it as well as I can.’
*Because I read “Zelensky leaves White House unscathed as he buys more time” by Vitaly Shevchenko & Myroslava Petsa on 19 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, led by ‘THROUGH the LOOKING-GLASS’ written by Lewis Carroll, you know.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
