ai–painting and story by Tetiana Vernihora

aiI am the wife of a fallen soldier, a cossack. Now he holds the sky above us. And I am here, on Earth.

aiOn March 17, 2022, Oleksii Hryhorovych Vernyhora stood up to defend his homeland. His decision was not subject to appeal. "I am a man and I took an oath. I am going to defend Ukraine."

aiHis call sign is "Mountain," and this is very symbolic. People say: "behind him, like behind a wall", and I was like behind a mountain!

aiHe is courageous and brave, confident and intelligent, fair and responsible.

aiHe liked coffee... Coffee in the morning, coffee in the afternoon, coffee anytime. And I was happy to make it, Turkish style, knowing down to the gram how much sugar to add and for which cup.

aiHe woke up very early each morning and had a lot to do. He rarely woke me up but always kissed my sleeping eyes or lips and covered my legs with a blanket.

aiHe had strong and beautiful hands. I'd take his palm and bring his arm to me hugging him close.

aiA girl with pomegranates... She is wearing a dress with flowers. She walks barefoot on the ground and around her are so many colors, such shades of life. Now she is not interested in the beauty of the world. There is a chasm in her soul. A hole in her heart like the hole in the head of her beloved, who was killed by the Russians.

aiShe has pomegranates tied tightly to her body and she carries them behind her back. There are many of them, they are so bright and juicy. These pomegranates are now a part of her destiny and soul. They are attached to her like grenades, a symbolic reminder and imprint of how everything can explode in a split second.

aiIn her mind she has pictures of the battlefield, and in her heart the acute pain that her beloved must have felt when fragments of grenades hit his temples and the back of his head.

aiEverything in life is not accidental...