IRINA your name could be                                     that of a flower blossoming                        in the cruellest conditions,                                   the harshest places, or a star                        to guide in the night.                                    What inner strength and grace                     sustained you through pain and threat        at such a young age?                                                                                                          What courage to continue with poetry         - the ‘crime’ that caused                          - your prison sentence.                            - Once released and free, you chose        - to settle in our country                           - thus enriching and honouring us.                                                             - Ratushinskaya, heroine of our time        - has hope turned from grey to green?