Ukraine Rain (The Holodomor (1932-33)

Stalin's theft of wheat

The Ukraine rain fell long and hard
From clouds above on high,
But what were shed
Were tears of red
To spill on fields awry.

As storms of rage passed o'er the land
A horseman through it rode.
A black horse day
Of wild dismay
As floods of red rain flowed.

Beneath the yellow and the blue
The Ukraine rain poured on,
It steeped the ground
For miles around
And harvest yield was gone.

As people cried and people died,
The pain of rain aflame;
With nought to eat
The yellow wheat
Was plundered beyond shame

And all about the crippled souls
Would weep through blood red eyes
As once again
The Ukraine rain
Screamed down from blood red skies.

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

And history repeats itself Alan. Now Putin is stealing the grain from Ukraine in much the same way it was plundered by Stalin. No wonder the Ukrainians fight so hard for their country, they have been in this position before. Thank you for sharing this poem following our recent interaction where Ukraine was mentioned. Using the grain as a weapon is despicable, but war is dirty and cruel. There is plenty of that on show at the moment. I hope the current situation doesn't end in starvation of the population. . Certainly the price has increased substantially on World markets and the price of a loaf of bread has increased dramatically. Your poem conveys well the catastrophic consequences that the plundering of grain has on civilians. Thanks for sharing.

Chris

[Alan S Jeeves]

The Holodomor is no where near as well documented in the west as is the Holocaust Chris, yet so many people perished in such a short space of time (18 months). It matters not who's estimates are correct - it was still a huge amount of people.
I am so pleased that you found time to look in on 'Ukraine Rain' and review it. I am humbled that you understand each stanza so very well.
Kind regards, Alan

[John the Baptist]

Both nicely rhymed and accurate, this one. Stalin's agents deliberately denied food to Ukrainians after his attempt to collective agriculture failed miserably. I have heard different totals for the number of deaths, but they all run into the millions. Thank you, Comrade Marx.

[Alan S Jeeves]

This piece was inspired by Anne Applebaum's 2017 book 'Red Famine' John, winner of the Lionel Gelber Prize (Foreign Affairs) and Duff Cooper Prize (History/Political Science). She estimates the number of people who died at around 4 million souls.
I wrote this poem before the current conflict between Russia and the Ukraine, my more recent effort ' A Rust Covered-Sword (Once Bloody)', hopefully, deals with that .
Thank you for supporting by reading and commenting John.
Kind regards, Alan

[Relic]

Like one of the four horsemen, a black shadow is foreshadowing grief to come. I never thought I would see the Russian Government compelled to knit such destruction. This puts things into perspective.

[Alan S Jeeves]

Thank you for looking in Relic, I appreciate your point of view.
Kind regards, Alan

[jacob erin-cilberto]

a different kind of rain....blood and tears, a mixture...
such sadness over what Putin is doing to that country.

I can't hate Russians, though...just ONE of them.

really good work, Alan.
j.

[Alan S Jeeves]

You are exactly right Jacob, there are many Russian people who do not support Mr. Putin's actions. I suppose ordinary people are just trying to get along like the rest of us.
Individuals are not nations Jacob.
Kind regards, Alan

[jacob erin-cilberto]

that is true, Alan....
so true.
Give me a visit sometime if you are free to read...