Last year a remarkable young woman from California, died in Iraq. She was killed by a car bomb blast in Baghdad. She founded the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC), an organization that assists Iraqi victims of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. I was moved by her story and her dedication to her self-assigned task, to help those in need in Iraq. If you haven't heard of her, check out CIVIC: @ http://www.civicworldwide.org/

A Disturbance in the Force

It’s a movie cliché’
But it speaks to us all,
Marla Ruzicka was chosen
By the grim reapers call,
He trails in the shadows
Of the footfalls of men,
Who wage war on the innocent
Again and again.

She was the purity in the wasteland
The light in the dark,
Such strength for the victims
An ember, a spark,
Her vision a firebrand
To make us aware,
And walk a path through the wilderness
With compassion and care.

At 28 years,
Too early to go,
But her work will be legend
I want you to know,
How one person with focus
Someone’s wonderful daughter,
Can cast waves to infinity
Like a ripple on water.

4/20/05
Fibril_late