Grateful

As the weeks drag on, my disappointment in our government’s–and frankly the West’s–response to the Ukraine situation grows, resulting in this bitter poem. It is told from an unnamed leader’s point of view. Sorry to use a tired idiom at the end, but–as they say–when the shoe fits!

On a lighter note, I highly recommend the Ukrainian TV show now on Netflix with subtitles, Servant of the People. It’s a lighthearted show that probes the ideals of Western Democracy in the face of corruption and nepotism. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (who started his career as a comedian) stars as a history teacher turned Ukrainian President. In addition to being very funny, he has so many unintentionally prophetic lines, which, in light of current events, make you cringe. You also have a chance to see how beautiful Kiev was, before all this happened.

You ask, am I grateful

For kindly outpourings

Of sympathy, comments

And follows and likes?

You ask, am I grateful

For armaments coming

And drones, anti-aircraft,

Munitions, to fight?

You ask, am I grateful

For sanctions that bankrupt,

And weaken the currency,

De-fund the foe?

You ask, am I grateful

for neighbors nearby,

With their NATO-soft lives,

Taking refugees home?

You ask, am I grateful

For standing ovations,

For yet-tougher sanctions

When lesser ones fail?

You ask, am I grateful

Reporters reporting

In dangerous quarters

Keep telling the tale?

You ask, am I grateful

For businesses leaving,

When mothers are grieving

Their children today?

You ask, am I grateful

They’re lending a hand,

When they don’t understand

Bodies, thrown in mass graves?

You ask, am I grateful

For all the donations,

For money to burn

In this three-alarm fire?

You ask, am I grateful

For help, in ground warfare,

When bombs keep on dropping

From higher and higher?

My friends, I am grateful.

The West is amazing.

Can’t wait to join NATO–

When NATO lets me.

It’s hard to be grateful,

When down on your knees.

With buddies like you,

I don’t need

Enemies.

Copyright 2022 Andrea LeDew

For two essays on how the words please and thank-you lubricate our social dealings, but can also backfire, read Asking for Help and Thank You: It’s Only Polite. For a tongue-in-cheek poem about a man seeking the gratitude of the masses, as a pandemic hits our shores, read Small Thanks.