When the cold war ended, we yelled “Yippee!”
Seemed like all the paranoia was done with.
The victory went to the land of the free...
No more fallout shelter lacking windows to see,
The concrete curtain was deconstructed!
When the cold war ended, we hollered 'yippee.'
Our gaze turned inward, fretted about the economy.
We watched movies about some evil Sith!
The victory always went to the land of the free...
We could safely reduce the size of our military,
Invest peace dividends in dot-com behemoths.
When the cold war ended we bellowed “Yippee!”
We threw parties and soirees with much glee,
No more eastward glancers, fear replaced with glitz;
victory was assured in the land of the free...
Now a resurgent Russia is baring its teeth,
Here we go all over again forthwith;
We thought the cold war ended and yelled “yippee!”
No victory cheers today in the land of the free!
(that was mine. Here is Chat GPT4s villanelle.)
Whispers Beneath a Frosted Sky
(A Villanelle about the Cold War)
The silent world stood balanced on a wire,
With missiles poised and eyes behind a screen.
No warmth could thaw the frost of hidden fire.
Steel birds took flight while leaders would conspire,
Their smiles masked intentions cold, unseen.
The silent world stood balanced on a wire.
In shadowed rooms, the threats grew ever higher,
A chessboard sprawled in diplomatic sheen—
No warmth could thaw the frost of hidden fire.
Each side proclaimed their peace as they drew nigher,
While spies crept through the cracks that lay between.
The silent world stood balanced on a wire.
A breath, a spark, could raise the funeral pyre,
The world held hostage by a cruel machine.
No warmth could thaw the frost of hidden fire.
Though walls may fall and silence may retire,
The echo lingers in what might have been—
The silent world stood balanced on a wire,
No warmth could thaw the frost of hidden fire.
(that one is very good.)
