Poems for Ukraine: An Anthology by Poetry Performance

Following the graphic news reports about the warfare in Ukraine, there was an immediate response from poets living in England, Belgium and Germany. Their poems, published in this book, portray the feelings and worries of many, and give heartfelt sympathy to the suffering citizens of Ukraine.

Although all the poems strongly focus on the war between Russia and Ukraine, the twenty-nine poets present different aspects and perspectives of this conflict. Some, as with poets Lionel Bartleby, Prathiba Castle, Ken Mason, Fran Thurling, reflect some of the tragic personal stories presented on the media. Their descriptive poems, unlike news media, retain a permanent recorded memory of specific incidents. The personal stories of Ukraine people deserve to be remembered and through this anthology, the reader is invited to think about the conflict in different ways, leading to new dimensions of understanding.

In contrast our German poets, Albert Ostermaier and Reiner Kunze, whose poems are written in both German and English, reflect the feeling of despair and utter helplessness as they reflect on the war, and their inability to do anything about it. Kunze recalls an earlier time when Germany was the aggressor, though some of his lines are a reminder that aggression wears different faces. 

Bob Kimmerling's work with the Vineyard Community Centre, brings him into direct contact with Refugees from Ukraine. His poem, Zoya's Tears, provides a strong, personal insight into the life of an elderly woman who suddenly has to face the loss of everything. Keith Wait is another poet who provides a strong personal insight into his own experience of life behind the Iron Curtain in the 1980's, and the present dilemma of his grandson's friend, Maria Emelianova, a brave dissident exiled from her homeland. 

Poets, Trisha Broomfield and Heather Moulson, provide a different perspective, and one which many people will identify with, namely that war is taking place somewhere else. Then something happens, bringing them up short, causing them to think, it could be us. Concluding the anthology are the lyrics to two songs, by songwriter/performer Ian Lee-Dolphin.

Expect to find an eclectic mix in the sixty-one poems, which consist of free verse, rhymed verse, poetic prose. Some poems are ironic in mood, e.g. Staged Event (Bucha, 1 April 2022) by Stephen Gospage, a poet living in Belgium, whilst other [poems are deeply emotive. References to the Nightingale and Sunflowers in some poems are used as symbols for Ukrainian art and culture.

Profits from the sale of this Anthology are to go to British-Ukrainian Aid, a charity set up to support the wounded and the displaced (Charity Registered in England and Wales No 1164472). They are currently sending humanitarian and medical aid to Ukraine and are collaborating on a project supporting Ukrainian refugee artists. They are also doing their best to help as many casualties of war as possible, including more than 12 million people who had to flee their homes .