A Survivor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself.” – Plato

"Life is a tragedy to those who feel and a comedy to those who think." - Moliere

If I had no sense of humour, I would long ago have committed suicide." - Mahatma Gandhi

Referring to Volodmvr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, I overheard someone in the next shopping aisle to where I was standing in my local supermarket comment t that it was incredible to think he was once a professional actor-comedian. I could not see the lady to whom he was speaking, but had to nod and smile for hearing her refer him to the quote by Mahatma Gandhi.

Indeed, Zelensky has impressed much of the world even more than Putin has 0ffended it. Out thoughts and prayers are with those young fighters on both sides; Ukranians defending their country and freedom and Russians led to believe the lies Putin has spread through Russian media sources over which he appears to have supreme control. 

This morning, news is breaking here that the Russians have been shelling the north-eastern city of Energodar and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's biggest; so far, so good, though, as there have been no reports of any nuclear leakage... yet.

A SURVIVOR

I hurt, I bleed, I need
to understand how such forces
crept up on me, pounced
on me, threatening to denounce
my very identity, kill me
if necessary, as I might as well be anyway
if I’m to be cast adrift
from all that I hold dear, family friends, no less
haunted forever by a shared distress

In my every heartbeat,
a feeling for revenge, so-called righter
of wrongs if little or no
real consolation to be had there,
nor even in every tear
that falls, every clenched punched into the air
as I rave and swear against
a torturous Here-and-Now, yet need to get a grip,
turn angry mind-body-spirit kinder side up

Memory will not let me
forget all that has conspired to reduce
mind-body-spirit
to all but a shell of what nature intended
for its human kin,
but there you have it, where the keyword is spirit,
rising above such dastardly
forces as would see me snap in the eyes of the world,
yet to personal space and history, the last word

Prime defence against the worst life and world can let fall,
I am the beleaguered heart of a compassionate soul

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022