Like the never ending end in Gabriel García Márquez's novel the story I'm about to tell may seem to have.
On the 21/11/2013 another Hawn hits the exhausted land of Syria more specifically Homs - Haj Atef square; this square, in that miserable day, had witnessed a horrible crime; as all the cities of Syria are experiencing over and over. Hawn missiles are coward way to kill; it doesn't take more than one criminal to hold and choose a spot on the map; where he feels it's going to do the largest amount of damage and send his hate letter full of destruction. Damascus and Homs had the biggest share of this cowered act and it's not looking like it's going to end any soon. At first a crowded place would be chosen; a market, a school, it doesn't matter, this time it was both; the square of Haj Atef is a roundabout where people have opened their street stands of grocery in; in addition to a bakery, a pharmacy, a super market, a farmer's market, and 2 schools, all are surrounding this place.
This hateful missile landed on a supply van standing in front of the school where more than 500 children were trying to learn something other than death, the car went on fire and the man inside it also lied with his smoked body in the middle of the street, others have died also, although the horrible strategy of sending a following missile is already familiar, but it has been wiped off the minds of the shocked crowds, the scared kids walked over each other with panic, and frightened parents rushed into the scene. One man says: "I was drawn amazed along with my friend to the place, we didn't know why were we going; we told people don't go, yet we found ourselves magnitude towards the place; we were rushing there when a small girl crying rushed into my arms; I have never seen her before, I landed on my knees to hold her where my friend continued his path towards death".
When his friend reached the place with hundreds of others, ambulance and some soldiers, the followed missile has reached them too, at the exact same spot, also another one in different neighborhood of Homs with the same horrible destiny. This square announced the death of 60 kids, men and women and still counting; some died at once, some died from their wounds, so official numbers varied but the residences of this area know their lost loved ones, and how much they have said goodbye; as the last goodbye that devastated dad said to his 1 year old daughter; when he landed her beautiful angel body he wrapped in his arms, down on the ground of the mosque and strangers he has never met before prayed with him all crying their heart out and saying goodbye for the last time.
How can we say goodbye to these innocents? How can Syria ever recover? Usually countries goes on morning for their lost ones in an airplane crash or other sad accidents, usually they build a mausoleum or a statue to remember and never forget. How can we remember all this? How many days will we dress in black for those who were murdered in cold blood? And what kind of mausoleum and status, and how many this land could do I can't imagine. Usually architects and artists have the answer for such situations in their art; as for me I have lost all answers and have only questions.
All images have been collected by WSI.