on Yulia Tymoshenko: November 2004-February 2014

Verse composed 26 February 2014

on Yulia Tymoshenko: 2004-2014 a decade indeed makes a great difference from heroine of the 2004 Pomarancheva revolyutsiya imprisoned for 30 months to a possible repeat as premier with her signature crown of golden braided hair albeit in a wheelchair this time with a creased face Yulia addressed the crowd in Kyiv’s Maidan square saying she drew strength from Ukrainians’ heroism cynics might devalue her masterful performance it does not subtract from her keen political sense. © 2014 Amado M. Mendoza, Jr. Russian soldiers in Crimea (Reuters photo) Author’s note:  The drama generated by the flight of Viktor Yanukovych and the release from prison of Yulia Tymoshenko (heretofore political rivals) is overshadowed by Russia’s military incursion into the Crimea peninsula.  It is justified by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as a move to protect Russians in Ukraine and a protest to the unconstitutional coup in Kiev (after all, even if Yakunovych is corrupt, he has an electoral mandate) supported by Western money.  US President Barack Obama declared the Russian move as an unacceptable violation of Ukraine’s national sovereignty. (Photos taken from the public domain: Yulia Tymoshenko addressing the crowd at Maidan square in Kiev, Ukraine after she was freed from prison; Yulia Tymoshenko working on the riot police barricade during the 2004 Orange Revolution)