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Soviet Story

Hungary 1956
The innocent flowers peered gingerly
Through the stench in the iron pavement
   Hesitating, then stretching the petals greedily
   To drink of the sunlight of Possibility...

       Czechoslovakia 1968
Beaming, grinning, grown men giddy with laughter
Liberty unleashed! Gone Repression's manacles
   Now marching, shouting, swelling to a gale force
   Unstoppable, sweeping aside all resistance in her path...

          Happy Endings
...When, bludgeoned by cement-faced tanks
     Petals ducking inward, collapsing
     Pistils and stamens suffocating
     Vanished smiles annihilated
     Choked on oxygen-depleted
     Placards of Freedom unbetrothed...

...All the flowers died...
   ...All the people withered...
      ...Crushed -- oh-so --Happily --ever  --after

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Agnes Krampe

Date: 4/24/2018 7:10:00 PM

I like your imagery, Gershon. But eventually, freedom DID win. I feel very strongly about this, because I grew up in communist East Germany, and the tales of the uprisings in 1953, of Prague 68 etc were ever present warnings - and yet, in 1989, the wall DID fall , something we had not imagined in our wildest dreams. There is hope.

Gershon Wolf
Date: 4/24/2018 7:36:00 PM

Yes, you're right. There is hope. The worldwide communist revolution is dead, although I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Russia to ever come around, and I certainly wouldn't underestimate the threat Mr. Putin poses to this planet. He is craftily building an empire, beach-heads all over the globe...We'll see what happens...Thank you for your visit and insight, Agnes :)

Line Gauthier

Date: 4/24/2018 2:29:00 PM

Lovely to introduce the innocence of flowers against images of such harsh reality. A beautiful and meaningful poem, Gershon.

Gershon Wolf
Date: 4/24/2018 3:57:00 PM

Thank you, Line: The sinking feeling when the USSR rolled those tanks into Budapest and Prague has never left me. I was innocent enough back in those days to believe that Freedom had a chance against the USSR. ~gw

Gershon Wolf
Date: 4/24/2018 3:57:00 PM

Thank you, Line: The sinking feeling when the USSR rolled those tanks into Budapest and Zagreb (?) has never left me. I was innocent enough back in those days to believe that Freedom had a chance against the USSR. ~gw