Consequences Uttered To Instil A Sense Of Fear Poem by Mark Heathcote

Today we watched in horror
the deliberate act of a Russian tank
driving over a moving civilian car
and see the ruined remains of residential tower blocks
the homes of the innocent destroyed, sent fleeing
midwinter into-the-perilous-unknown,
we see people desperately clutching babies, children
and teddy bears to their breast.
While Russia, with all its military arsenal of chess pieces
encircles its prey, threatening the world with its
shelling, closing in on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
like a cat playing with a globe in its paw.

And to this added horror unfolding
we are all told of crematorium death machines
how they roll on behind to dispose of their dead
we are all told the War to 'de-militarise and de-Nazify
that it's an effort to stop any more future violence
but what's clearly on display is genocide
an invasion of aggressors hell-bent on destruction
on looting and murder, they claim hysteria
has taken hold of our senses and shortly
we in the West will all come to our senses - again.

Once a trusting partner will settle down,
and later calmly renegotiate a mutual endgame
that settles for-King's-stalemate, an equal partnership
because if you don't, there'll be
consequences greater-than-any you've faced
in the history of the world.
Because why do we need a world if Russia is not in it?
so Putin once again has announced he wants
Russia's nuclear deterrence forces placed on 'high alert, '
and orders the West not to interfere
again 'Consequences' uttered to instil a sense of fear.