The Recovery Of Kherson City, The Oblast And Much More Poem by Gert Strydom

As a person drives pock-marked is the landscape,
with shot-out air-defence, tanks and a armoured car,
some unexploded bombs are left in the road's tar,
some prisoners had three minutes to escape,

to get away from Russians who did women rape,
where nothing do Russians from atrocities bar:
before Russians would open fire on where they are,
far too many things are on CCTV video tape.

At night Russians did withdraw, actually flee
away from a Oblast where they did pillage and loot,
saw other's possessions as their own property,
they only way out for Russians were on foot,
that Ukrainians would very soon with them be,
was even by their general very well understood.

2
At Antonivsky on a makeshift bridge over they walked,
their tanks; armoured cars and Howitzers left behind,
that Zelensky is like Napoleon some talked,
knew that far too soon Ukrainians those trophies would find,

while incoming shells said that they were already nearby,
some were surrounded, cut off as they did rest,
in the river did drown, in its cold depths did die,
those with atrocities, probably the Russian best,

sections of the Antonivsky Bridge was blown away
after the river crossing was complete
and in that night and on the next day,
they knew that now they face great defeat,

nothing that anyone says could turn this around,
while they set up Dragon-Teeth on desert ground.

3
Around them was very little covering,
this was not a great place to try and defend,
there was just sand; a dust bowl, with nothing,
that they will overcome they did still pretend.

with a few T-72 tanks and personnel-carriers,
military trucks for transporting troops,
they put up pillboxes as some kind of barriers,
had no barbed, or bladed wire with loops;

incoming HIMARS rockets at a nearby airfield,
did accurately every vehicle and heavy weapon hit,
and running away as quick as they can, they did yield,
was terrified by that weapon, by the death from it,

where Russia brags with 30000 it had withdrawn,
greatly disarmed they feared death on that morn.

4
On the Nova Kakhovka dam they did blow the road,
with bridges taken away to try and keep Ukraine at bay,
they had little munitions into the few heavy guns to load,
prayed that the Ukrainians would stay away,

around them the landscape was desolate,
to stay there in that open space was to call on death,
the constant disappearing officers they came to hate,
while as the wind did rise there was dust on every breath,

that soon in this open space Ukraine will take a reckoning,
was on their minds the only logic thing.

l'Envoi
5
In the year 2022 on the eleventh month's eleventh day,
the Ukrainian army did recover the Kherson Oblast,
for that moment many residents of Kherson City did pray,
on Channel Four News a man said he was free at last,

in Kherson City people cried with the greatest joy,
soldiers were embraced, given flowers,
the signs stating: forever Russian did them annoy,
along with hidden bombs in apartments and city towers,

while everywhere the Ukrainian flags were fluttering,
slowly from Russia they did their land back gain,
local residents did the Russian flags to a fire bring
as they sang: 'Slava Ukraiyini: " glory to Ukraine,

glory to the heroes and president Zelensky,
who was bringing to everyone liberty.

6
A lorry with food supplies for a local store drove in,
as people celebrated and danced around a bon-fire,
where they were hungry this was a sign that they do win
and so greatly they did the brave soldiers admire.

Without electricity and running water they were happy,
Russians had as they left blown facilities away,
where there is something in being really free,
'thank you, ' so many people did to the soldiers say,

remembered loved ones who did disappear,
how Russians fired with live ammo on this square,
for the atrocities of Russians the great fear,
everyone was of some war-crime intimately aware,

even to small girls the Ukrainian flag was more than a toy,
there was relief as the crowds sang and danced in joy.
© Gert Strydom