To Stay Clear And Bright Poem by Gert Strydom

To stay clear and firm on principles comes to me,
where a story of my family, of a Prime Minister,
stays even where in life things become sinister:
in the way that true principals should be,

where we are only humans with great fatality,
but to my ways I am not a kind of insister.
Without boundaries like rubbing skin policy will blister,
I do in Ukraine a crashed Puma helicopter see:

remember JG Strijdom that did not want off to turn,
as he was passing his own estate,
as he was busy with duties that was official,
the business of state was the first concern,
he did not go a kilometre out of the way or let people wait,
his own business could wait, it was unofficial.

2
Of J G Strijdom I note to my great dismay,
although they note him as the Lion of the North,
that very falsely Wikipedia do him portray:
as if out of him apartheid policies went forth,

with left-wing: 'white supremacist' views
they slander him and my family-name,
do try to tread all Afrikaners down and to abuse
those that do into life as an Afrikaner came:

like the lion on the family crest he remained true;
to principles and what to others to do.

3
In the 1980's during the Bush / Border War
we used similar Puma-helicopters to transport troops.
In Brovary the crashed helicopter I cannon ignore:
far too low in fog, into a kindergarten it down swoops,

which looks like pilot error, but I do not really know,
that it was a rescue helicopter is clear,
I know that it did not direct to Kharkiv go,
that to the ground it was much too near,

the explosion and fuel on fire did fifteen people kill:
a girl and her mother at the kindergarten died,
as well as the Minister of Internal Affairs,
I wonder at that pilot's flying skill,
that it was an accident no one denied.

4
Why in a rescue helicopter the minister did fly
we do not know, but I remember medics flying in,
for evacuation of the wounded a person could rely
in the middle of the artillery's fire and din,

at the scene the cloud-base was about a hundred feet,
Brovary is from Kiev City somewhat north-east,
where we do not know whom the minister went to meet,
on instruments the height of the helicopter decreased,

to the Dnieper and from Boryspil south would be
to Kharkiv the best route where they probably wanted to drop
a person off in Brovary or it was an opportunity,
for a personal reason somewhere to stop

but also technical factors cannot be excluded,
a failure can as a cause to the accident be included,

5
In the Ukrainian newspapers a scandal
had before the war erupted on the same flying-machine:
that president Zelensky did it for private use mishandle
and now to use it that late minister was keen.

The innocent people at the kindergarten dying
bring to the use of the helicopter a responsibility:
a person wants to know why it was over Brovary flying,
if in that crash there was any irresponsibility

and as accidents do go this is a terrible thing:
with children wounded, burned and killed,
that does many a question bring,
where safety measures should at all times be instilled

but still life at times bring great tragedy,
especially where war reminds us about human-frailty.

6
In combat-footage from Civ Div saved on a Go-Pro I see
members of the Ukrainian Foreign Legion,
walk in single file after taking out a BMP,
where they probably suspect mines scattered in the region.

How they keep scanning left and right,
move under cloud cover to avoid enemy drones,
are relaxed but constantly ready to fight:
without words they simultaneous react like clones,

speaks of training and of experience:
a unit that together as a system act,
do want at all time clear to see against inexperience:
where everything have to be explained before an attack

but the soldier with the camera carries his weapon high,
do keep it from pointing to the nearest ally.

7
We in the eighties probably had the best bush-war army,
carried weapons low, with the safety catches on,
where the corporal was how the US does a sergeant view,
with section leaders but it was the SADF which is gone,
where the SANDF is useless and from it askew,

where I notice a similar unit-structure as they do approach
the BMP, a crossing and some buildings and zigzag
do spread out
do the BMP from which a loaded weapon points encroach.
the platoon-leader does some commands shout.

I wonder if a Russian is still about in the vehicle,
where we would first have secured the outer region,
do scan the layout in my memory of a BMP analytical,
it seems clear while enemies might be near the legion.

Behind a wall the platoon-leader notices a friendly move,
not to shoot, he does instruct: a blue patch do allegiance proof.

8
At Bahkmut and Solidar Ukraine do trenches assault,
use drones to drop bombs and for coordinates,
to which very accurate artillery shell by default,
where drones guide commanders and sub-ordinates

to accurately as infantry engage with the enemy,
as they do wipe out trench by enemy trench,
to from the worst danger to stay free,
while in death some Russians do still weapons clench.

At Kyslivka Russia is still hard on attack,
are trying to get close to a road the do Bahkmut supply.
All the way from Krasna Hora Ukraine act,
do drive Russians to Solidar, do pressure apply

as Russia northward towards Reshetylivka move
and with armour attacks against the Russians improve.

9
As German Chancellor Scholtz states:
Germany will supply Leopard 2 tanks
if the US Abrams do supply and it to me indicates:
that he is stopping countries in the NATO ranks

where all Leopard tanks are under licence from Germany,
and Poland and others are ready to give.
I wonder how the war will stay from politics free,

what do Putin on Scholtz and Macron hold,
where in Ukraine for weapons the need is very high,
as more Russian atrocities do daily unfold,
they need the correct arms Russia to defy,

to be able to stay from Russian oppression clear,
to their military to victory up to gear.



[Poet's notes: Strydom is the Afrikaans spelling of the Dutch Strijdom.

Where Wikipedia will be quick to say they mentioned it about the Nationalist Party and not of him, they did note it down with him and with the National Party that by its own decisions turned South Africa over to the current system of government.

More than this I do not find Wikipedia true to fact as it does portray history or even how this war in Ukraine does go. What is written is based on a biased view, are not to absolute facts or the absolute truth true.

Note the poet is apolitical and has not voted for the National party when it existed.

A Go-Pro is a helmet camera.]
© Gert Strydom