February 24th, 2022, a date the world will not forget.

The Russians invaded Ukraine, a sovereign country on some made up pretext, with threats of nuclear Armageddon should any other countries join forces and ally themselves to the Ukraine. The world was on a knife point, as it balanced international outrage with damage limitation. In the end the international community compromised by sending supplies and equipment to the Ukrainians as well as placing sanctions on Russia.

What seemed at first to be a one-sided fight with a likely knock out for the Russians in the first round did not happen. The Ukrainians surprised everyone by doing the unthinkable and taking the attack to the Russians thus saving both their capital Kyiv and country from falling. Now into its fourth month, the lightning war vanished and is now a war of attrition with no signs of it abating soon.

These poems are my take on the Ukrainian conflict reflecting the stoicism and heroism of the Ukrainians facing war on a day-to-day basis yet still managing to succeed on the international stage. A humongous task made to look simple, though I suspect that is not the case.

This modern-day version of David and Goliath is being played out in front of a worldwide audience. I hope the poems strike a chord with those who buy the book, and that in some small way we are helping the Ukraine in its hour of need.