The Light of Amariyah
Baghdad, Iraq   2002

      On February 13th, 1991, two ‘smart’ bombs were targeted down the vent shaft of the Amariyah bomb shelter, where 408 people sought refuge. The first bomb tore this gaping hole through the 6-foot thick, reinforced concrete roof. The large steel rods were torn and twisted as if they were pipe cleaners. The second ‘smart’ bomb quickly followed, killing everyone inside. The torn and twisted structure symbolically echoes the devastation to the victims and the survivors of the victims who are still trying to pick up the pieces of their lives, 12 years later.

      ‘Smart’ bombs are an oxymoron - they are still dumb enough to kill innocent people. The manufacturers, those making decisions, and those pushing the buttons don’t see the faces of the innocent. As singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn wrote:

Some people never see the light
Till it shines through bullet holes

Some never see it even then... May we see this light and learn from it and begin the process of their healing as well as ours.

CSpaulding
February, 2003