For Ukraine
For the beauty of Ukraine I paused,
I paused to contemplate.
I contemplate the land and its changing contours.
I think about the changes this land has seen and the changes it has endured.
But the land remains.
It remains ever present, ever enduring.
I contemplate the Ukrainian culture and all its diversity,
a diversity that I can never totally experience nor understand.
But I enjoy all those cultural aspects that I am blessed to receive.
For the culture endures.
It remains as a rock,
a solid foundation for Ukrainian people.
I contemplate a history that is both sad and inspiring.
Ukraine has seen its share of history;
Ukraine has been history.
Its history has defined it;
Its history has shaped it;
Its history has changed it.
But Ukraine endures.
Its history is indeed before it.
The past is merely prologue.
The enduring spirit of Ukraine demands as much.
I contemplate the character of Ukraine’s people.
God indeed must have decided to put the best of women in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian woman’s beauty is unsurpassed;
Her heart is exceedingly warm and exceptionally strong;
Her smile is a bright spring day;
Her intellect is Ukraine’s hidden strength.
Ukrainian men have been granted a country of beautiful women as a gift from God.
But God has exacted a heavy price from Ukrainian men.
Ukrainian men have died in tragic numbers and in tragic ways.
Yet, they are true patriots.
They are brave;
They are consummate hosts;
They endure.
They are many of my best friends.
I know that no better friend could any one man have but a Ukrainian.
I contemplate where Ukraine is going.
It matters not what I think however.
It only matters what Ukraine does.
But, Ukraine has history;
It has culture;
It has the land;
But, most importantly, it has its people.
I have seen its beautiful and irrefutably strong women;
I can call many of its men my friends.
I know Ukraine will endure.
It will do nothing less.
Rusty Brooks
October 2001
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