and she really did
rise as she spoke,
several inches;
but she got hold of
the edge of the table,
and managed to
pull herself
down again.
‘Take care of yourself!’
screamed the White Queen,
seizing Alice’s hair with both her hands.
‘Something’s going to happen!’
And then (as Alice
afterwards described it)
all sorts of things
happened in a moment.
‘Gandalf the Green’ has accused.
‘Mordor’ of choosing.
“Easter escalation”.
Over an Easter ceasefire.
After ‘Mordor’ carried out.
Another deadly large-scale.
Drone and missile attack.
On Ukraine.
The candles all grew up
to the ceiling,
The candles all grew up
to the ceiling,
looking something like
a bed of rushes
with fireworks
at the top.
Six civilians were killed.
And 40 others injured.
As ‘orcs’ launched hundreds.
Of drones and missiles.
Across the country.
Major daytime attacks.
Which were once rare.
Have been increasing.
As to the bottles,
they each took
a pair of plates,
which they hastily fitted on
as wings, and so,
with forks for legs,
went fluttering about
in all directions:
It’s happening.
As efforts to end the war.
Led by the US.
Have stalled.
Since the US President.
And his team shifted.
Focus to the conflict.
In the Middle East.
‘and very like birds they look,’
Alice thought to herself,
‘and very like birds they look,’
Alice thought to herself,
as well as she could
in the dreadful confusion
that was beginning.
that was beginning.
Meanwhile.
‘Gandalf the Green’ agreed with.
A British intelligence assessment.
That the situation.
On the frontline.
In the east was.
The “most favourable”.
For Ukraine.
In 10 months.
As the advance of.
‘Orcs’ troops appears.
To have slowed.
But there has been.
No let-up in the air raids.
But there has been.
No let-up in the air raids.
The candles all grew up
to the ceiling,
The candles all grew up
to the ceiling,
looking something like
a bed of rushes
with fireworks
at the top.
In the Zhytomyr region.
West of ‘elves’ capital, Kyiv.
Rescuers had to search.
For survivors.
Beneath the rubble.
Of their homes.
As a whole line of houses.
Was destroyed.
As to the bottles,
they each took
a pair of plates,
which they hastily fitted on
as wings, and so,
with forks for legs,
went fluttering about
in all directions:
In the Kyiv region.
A drone was filmed.
Careering towards.
A block of flats.
Careering towards.
A block of flats.
Then slamming into its side.
Starting a fire.
‘and very like birds they look,’
Alice thought to herself,
‘and very like birds they look,’
Alice thought to herself,
as well as she could
in the dreadful confusion
that was beginning.
that was beginning.
In Kharkiv.
In north-eastern Ukraine.
A woman was killed and.
Other people were critically injured.
In a day of strikes.
The mayor called.
“One of the biggest”.
On the city so far.
At this moment she heard
a hoarse laugh at her side,
and turned to see
what was the matter
with the White Queen;
but, instead of the Queen,
there was the leg of mutton
sitting in the chair.
‘Gandalf the Green’ described.
The barrage as ‘Mordor’’s.
Response to his proposal.
Of a temporary truce.
For the holidays:
Orthodox Christians celebrate.
Easter next weekend both.
In Ukraine and in ‘Mordor’.
“The ‘orcs’ have only.
Intensified their strikes.
Turning what should have been.
Silence in the skies.”
“Turning what should have been.
Silence in the skies.
Into an Easter escalation.”
He wrote on X.
‘Here I am!’ cried a voice
from the soup-tureen,
and Alice turned again,
just in time to see
the Queen’s broad good-natured face
grinning at her for a moment
over the edge of the tureen,
before she disappeared into the soup.
In recent days.
Ukraine has launched.
Multiple deep strikes.
Of its own.
Targeting energy facilities.
On the northern coast.
Of ‘Mordor’.
In particular.
One port, in Ust-Luga.
Has been hit by drones.
Multiple times, forcing.
‘Mordor’ to suspend exports.
There was not a moment
to be lost.
There was not a moment
to be lost.
Already several of
the guests were lying down
in the dishes,
in the dishes,
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
The offer of a holiday truce.
Was still on the table.
If ‘Mordor’ agreed.
And that message.
Had been passed on.
In a call to.
The US President’s envoys.
and the soup ladle was
walking up the table
towards Alice’s chair,
and beckoning to her
impatiently to get out
of its way.
impatiently to get out
of its way.
Plans for further.
In-person talks.
With ‘Mordor’.
Mediated by the US.
Have now been.
Postponed twice.
‘Mordor’ says.
They are “on hold”.
There was not a moment
to be lost.
There was not a moment
to be lost.
Already several of
the guests were lying down
in the dishes,
in the dishes,
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
The US President’s team.
Were welcome.
To come to Kyiv.
Then shuttle to Moscow.
To keep.
The peace process alive.
The peace process alive.
and the soup ladle was
walking up the table
towards Alice’s chair,
and beckoning to her
impatiently to get out
of its way.
impatiently to get out
of its way.
But there are doubts.
Over whether Moscow.
Is really looking for.
A deal.
As the global context.
Has shifted.
Has shifted.
In its favour.
‘Take care of yourself!’
screamed the White Queen,
seizing Alice’s hair with both her hands.
‘Something’s going to happen!’
And then (as Alice
afterwards described it)
all sorts of things
happened in a moment.
For Ukraine.
The potential scarcity.
Of fuel and surge.
In prices.
Caused by the war.
On Iran is.
A worry:
A worry:
Its own frontline troops.
Need large amounts of diesel.
For their tanks.
And vehicles.
The candles all grew up
to the ceiling,
The candles all grew up
to the ceiling,
looking something like
a bed of rushes
with fireworks
at the top.
Conversely.
It’s good news.
It’s good news.
For ‘Mordor’.
Which can make more money.
On energy exports.
To fund its weapons production.
And pay for soldiers.
As to the bottles,
they each took
a pair of plates,
which they hastily fitted on
as wings, and so,
with forks for legs,
went fluttering about
in all directions:
There are also concerns here.
About a potential shortage.
Of US defensive missiles.
To shoot down.
The ballistic missiles.
That ‘Mordor’ keeps firing.
At Ukraine.
At Ukraine.
Since so many.
US Patriot systems.
Are now being used.
In the war with Iran.
‘and very like birds they look,’
Alice thought to herself,
‘and very like birds they look,’
Alice thought to herself,
as well as she could
in the dreadful confusion
that was beginning.
that was beginning.
“The longer the war.
In the Middle East continues.
The greater the risk that.
We will receive less weaponry.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ told.
Journalists in Kyiv.
In recorded messages.
“This is extremely difficult.”
“– perhaps one of the most.
Challenging tasks.”
“– perhaps one of the most.
Challenging tasks.”
At this moment she heard
a hoarse laugh at her side,
and turned to see
what was the matter
with the White Queen;
but, instead of the Queen,
there was the leg of mutton
sitting in the chair.
He did describe.
The situation on the frontline.
As “stable”.
As “stable”.
With small territorial gains.
In places and.
Losses elsewhere.
And suggested.
And suggested.
The threat of a major.
‘Orcs’ breakthrough.
Had receded.
‘Here I am!’ cried a voice
from the soup-tureen,
and Alice turned again,
just in time to see
the Queen’s broad good-natured face
grinning at her for a moment
over the edge of the tureen,
before she disappeared into the soup.
Even so.
‘Elves’ focus appears.
To be on holding.
The line now.
Not major advances.
Of its own.
Not major advances.
Of its own.
(‘And they did push so!
she said afterwards,
when she was telling her sister
the history of the feast.
‘You would have thought
they wanted to squeeze me flat!’)
In fact it was
rather difficult for her
to keep in her place
while she made her speech:
the two Queens pushed her so,
one on each side,
that they nearly lifted her
up into the air:
‘I rise to return thanks –’
Alice began:
*Because I read “Russia chose ‘Easter escalation’ over ceasefire, says Zelensky” by Sarah Rainsford on 3 Apr 2026, 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:
Russia chose ‘Easter escalation’ over ceasefire, says Zelensky
