In Syria’s heart, ‘neath desert’s palm and date,
A spectre rises ‘gainst decency’s state.
Ungodly force born half a decade past,
Now thrives anew in chaos unsurpassed.
In vaulted halls of mercantile grace,
Men paid the price for unbridled pace.
They rallied, borrowed, gambled in the fray,
Now rue the losses of the tumultuous day.
Upon the Eastern front, Ukraine thus stands,
In Russian soil, they mark with firm hands.
Quick gains won tenfold, ‘midst a year of strife,
Yet outnumbered still, they wager life.
