Politics

She soars, 

spins, twists 

lands on two feet,

clutch execution 

multiplied by a high 

degree of difficulty

awards her the gold.

Fans cheer, 

national banners wave, 

anthem gets played

and a post-performance 

press conference

announces her momentary 

greatness -

sponsors falling

over themselves

to sign her up.

At the other end

of the Eurasian Steppe

Ukraine swings 

between war 

and not war

like a body at the end 

of a noose -

Russian tanks,

rocket launchers and 

150,000 troops

closing in

the world watching

hanging on

breathlessly.