At the beginning of March the UN, including Russia, agreed to a 30 day cease fire in Syria to allow civilians to leave the fighting zones. The cease fire failed, and the US gave the Russians notice that when the 30 days have passed without a cease fire they would take action against Syrian forces killing civilians. Russia reacted by threatening to retaliate if the US took any action against Syrian forces. If neither blinks, will military engagement between the US and Russia follow, and if so will that engagement escalate into full scale war? And so we wait to see if someone blinks.

With red lines drawn in bloody sand
Who will then blink, and who demand
Obeisance to the fisted hand
And who will grovel first?
Two scorpions, in bottle caught
Both knowing that the very thought
Of backing down is deeply fraught
With worse becoming worst
And so the dance in bottle sways
The feints, the never launched affrays
The pointed tail always delays
Though each for battle thirst
And so do red lines come and go
The scorpions both fully know
If feint becomes a nuclear blow
Then both for ages cursed