eyes wide open

it’s raining. i was outside pulling some weeds in our little garden we started at our new place and it started sprinkling. when it turned into a heavier rain i came inside.

last night i helped some other people set up an exhibit called “eyes wide open: the human cost of war.” it consists of a pair of combat boots for every soldier from Colorado killed in Iraq, as well as some shoes with the names of Iraqis killed in the war.

i wasn’t really thinking about it as i biked to the place where the exhibit was going to be. when i got there, the boots were in black plastic garbage bags and they came pouring out as someone dumped them onto the floor. the boots had slips of paper attached with the names of soldiers and their hometowns written on them. it was incredibly sad.

we lined them up in rows of two, with the civilian shoes and the military boots intermixed. i went back today, to see it. it was shocking and sad. all the shoes and boots were lined up on the floor and just stood there empty. i wrote down a few of the names. here they are:

Jeremy P. Tamburello, age 19; Denver, Colorado
Hasan Abod Taher Shed, age 26; Iraq
Barry Sanford Sr., age 46; Aurora, Colorado
Aadheam Ali, age 45; Iraq
Marwan Khalel Salman, age 17; Iraq
Mark E. Engel, age 21; Colorado
Mohammed Senge Mohammed. age 72; Iraq
Salma Sadwn Hashem Alasbae, age 49; Iraq
John Shaw Vaughan, age 23; Colorado
Evenor C. Herrera, age 22; Gypsum, Colorado
the mother of Said Adel Abed Qasim, age unknown; Iraq