Russian Rain
Russian Rain
Raining death upon the hapless Ukraine,
Sparing not the young, the sick, the old,
Savoring the screams — a grim refrain —
Reveling in misery untold,
Bombing hospitals and even schools,
Watching as the children flee in fear,
Violating all Geneva’s rules,
Causing a sweet land to disappear:
That is what the Russians have inflicted
On a peaceful nation they call “brother.”
Closing in, the nation’s life constricted:
Total independence they now smother.
Freedom in the land’s a setting sun,
And Russia’s reign has only just begun.
A longtime Princeton resident, Cheiten is the author of numerous short stories and poems, several plays, and the Princeton-based novella “The Hidden Ally.” “Russian Rain” is a sonnet.
