Mikhail

Russian on his father’s side

Ukrainian on his mother’s

Mikhail Gorbachev

Better than the others

Decent man honest man

Genuine reform

Consequence outran him

Still he stirred a storm

 

Ukraine land of sorrow

Suffered famine time

Brought about by communism’s

Stupid stupid crime

Then the Stalin purges

Imprisonment and death

Einzatsgruppen followed

Death and still more death

 

Putin needs his cover

Deep protective zone

Keep the west away from him

Protect his cruel throne

The peace begins with reverence

Respect your mortal foe

Do not belittle humiliate

Not the way to go

 

We need more folk like Gorbachev

An honest decent man

Who grew up mired in poverty

I’ll do the best I can

Putin he has crossed the line

Himself he cannot save

Let patience be the watchword

To keep us from the grave

 

Brian Fahy

26 January 2022