<html aria-label="message body"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 16px;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">In The Ruins</font></span><div><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A man sits on the rubble—</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">not just in the rubble, but on the pile</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">of what remains. No people</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">in the bombed-out houses.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No dogs. No birds. Just ragged hunks</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">of concrete and loss. And on his perch</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">he is playing an instrument constructed</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">of what is left—an olive oil can, a broom handle,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">a bowed stick and strings. It sounds</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">exactly as it is supposed to sound.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The instrument cries, but the man sings.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Because sometimes loss is deeper than tears.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Because sometimes grief is resistance.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Because, somewhere down the very long road,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">music is stronger than bombs.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></span></font><div style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Lynn Ungar</font></span></div></div></div></body></html>