one of the Orient’s oldest
and most beautiful important cities
inhabited for thousands of years
by generations after generations
of craftsmen, merchants, artists, dynasties,
famous architects of all styles and religions,
the western end of the old silk road
home to over 2 million citizens
until not long ago
a few weeks of modern warfare
were enough to destroy
what hundreds of generations had built
for their living as well as their sense of beauty
rockets exploded churches, temples, and mosques
artillery pulverized ancient palaces and new houses
barrel bombs and poison gas
killed the people
on tv we now see acres of urban wasteland
miles of rubble with no life
except for occasional tanks and soldiers
proclaiming victory over these ruins
in the name of a dictator whose regime
has become a puppet in global power games
no matter what the cost in lives or things
to destroy is easy
building things up is hard work
with friends like these
who needs enemies
For the ancient city of Aleppo as it used to be, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleppo