“Village Pond”
Snapped by chance out the side window, I thought this picture caught the hopeful new Iraq in the south. In the lower right, lie lines of new cinderblocks, drying in the sun. A pond and marsh grass, and a boat, suggest life can bloom here, while new construction in the background shows people investing in their village houses. Peeking over the top of two or three houses are the white disks of satellite dishes, while the gases burning off the refinery in the background symbolize the liquid wealth buried under this whole region.
I know, I know, militias and gangsters and politicians are fighting it out sometimes with bullets, not just words; petty corruption is a way of life at all levels of society; and religion remains a white hot wild card ... but at least you’ve got Shia villagers rebuilding their homes. That’s got to count for something, especially when five years ago they were being killed by Saddam's thugs.
I have a regular entry or two almost ready. Stay strong...
Fair Winds and Following Seas!