As the sun sets and hills grow dark,
as the birdsong ends and fields fall silent,
as the people laugh and take their rest,
I watch.
My heart hurries
to the twilight gardens of Ukraine.
And I hurry.
O, how I hurry with my thoughts,
as my heart yearns for rest.
As the fields grow dark,
as the groves grow dark,
as the hills grow dark,
I see a star.
And I weep.
Hey, you star! Have you reached Ukraine?
Do dark eyes scour the blue sky for you?
Or don’t they care?
May they sleep if they don’t.
May they know nothing of my fate.

Taras Shevchenko, 1847

This is, well, I can't even sugarcoat these things anymore, I've written so many, she had a presence in many circles.

I know Mari had friends on HP, more than just poetry buds, but good friends. She sadly was killed in action two weeks ago on Friday, April 4th, and was laid to rest in the main military cemetery April 7th in Kup"Yansk Vuzlovyy, Kharkivs'Ka Oblast', Ukrayina. Special sympathies to her husband SSgt J. Reihl of the 13th National Guard Brigade.

She'll be very missed by everyone who knew her. She was a true ray of sunshine in everyone's lives, despite so much loss in her young life she never stopped smiling or laughing unless she was posing for a glamour shot. Glory to Ukrayina, and glory to all her fallen heroes. Let their sacrifices for our freedom never be forgotten.

Major Tarasova, Med Svcs Kharkiv