War of the narrative ramps up tension,
Sabres rattle, bolt on apprehension,
Insert mainstream media upon bridge,
Issue fire proofed outfits to privileged,
Both sides revel in dark paranoia,
Ignore advice of humanist lawyers,
Leaders need threat of distant enemies,
To justify growth of their arsenals.
But is there crime here in the Crimea?
Or creation of underlying fear?
Bankrupt, this fifties ideology
Pervades highest corridors of power.
In Europe and Russia us folks buy pain,
For the bewildered across the Ukraine.

Harry Rogers, in The Yellow Room, 27th June 2021