Thursday, March 19, 2009

Six Years

It has been six years since the war in Iraq started.

Six Years.

Perhaps I am going against the grain. I know that the five year anniversary usually warrants more attention than either the fourth or sixth, but I need to take a moment to reflect. While I am sure others will say this and have said this - whatever this is -more eloquently, here is inarticulate and very primitive thoughts on the past six years.

A quick google search yields that in that time:

4259 US soldiers have been killed

318 Coalition Troops have been killed

139 Journalist have been killed

1264 Contractors have been killed

and an estimated

1,320,110 Iraqis have been killed


These are just numbers

Incomprehensible numbers

With each one being a father or mother or daughter or son or sister or brother or friend

A person

Each one leaving a father or mother or daughter or son or sister or brother or friend


So the numbers grow


And then there are those who are wounded

And those who witness


The numbers grow


When I was thinking about what I would write, I was thinking vaguely of going off on where I was six years and where I think I will be in six years.

And then as I started to write and I saw my problem

This isn't about me


Remembering that the numbers are a representative

And an obscure one at that

Of all that has been lost

And that we can still dream and hope

For peace

And for the numbers to stop growing

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Bananas

You can't help but laugh at this - I could watch it for hours.