Wreckage

Walking along the dusty neighborhood streets.

There's wreckage everywhere you look in Baghdad, mostly buildings that have been destroyed by blast or fire. In the famed Green Zone several ornate palaces that have been destroyed by U.S. precision munitions can be seen; exterior walls ripped open allowing pedestrians to peer into the collapsed ruble of history.

Cars are the only rarity among the street wreckage. If the wheels will still turn an Iraqi will find a way to utilize an abandoned automobile. I’ve seen gutted cars converted into horse-drawn carts, made into houses, and of course used to conceal bombs. The only cars that are of no use to Iraqis are the remains of car bombs, those that have been pushed off the side of the road. They are, however, of use to me. Every time I pass one of the blackened skeletons I'm reminded to me to be wary of it’s still concealed brother.