2,000 men and women, sons and daughters, some brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, cousins and nephews and neices, some teachers and coworkers and lovers and exes, some neighbors and roommates and former neighbors and former roommates, some students, some joggers, some Doom players, some movie buffs, some poets, some boxers, some pilots, some knitters, some painters, some cooks, some bakers, some chocolate lovers, some anchovy haters, some fishermen and women, some swimmers, some afraid of the water, some who were afraid of love and some who fed off of it, some who told stories and some who listened, some who drank single malt whiskey and some who drank beer, some who had never lived away from their parents until they joined the military and some who had left many years earlier, some who lived in cramped city apartments and some who lived in suburban palaces, some who read the paper and some who did not, some who wanted revenge, some who dreamed about wide open spaces and some who dreamed of friendship, some who held hands in public and some who shied away from affection, some who shook out of anger and some who held it inside, some who whispered in their sleep and some who screamed loudly, some who believed in God and some who didn't, some who had never been outside of the US until their plane landed in Shannon then Kuwait then Iraq and some who swam across rivers to get to the US, some who were hated and some who were loved deeply, some who smoked and some who chewed, some who carried their stories in their back pockets and some who sent them through email or phone calls or the internet, some who loved hip-hop and some who loved classic rock and some who loved 'alternative' and some who loved salsa and some who loved opera and some who loved polka, some who bit their nails, some who flossed, some who loved the summer heat and some who loved the autumn chill, some who took pictures and some whose pictures were taken, some who were afraid, some who smiled easily and some who had to force it once in a while, some who believed in the power of lovemaking and some who believed in the power of sex, some who had spaniels or siamese or koi or iguanas or boas or toads or tarantulas or turtles or hamsters or rabbits or canaries, some who were allergic to pets and some who were allergic to dustmites, some who were bastards and some who were bitches, some who were loyal and some who were backstabbers, some who were crazy with bravery, some who felt heavy with regret, some who did what they had to do, some who saved for tomorrow, some who bought their friends drinks even when they protested, some who knew how to install cabinets and software, some who had read the same books more than twice, some who could recite whole scenes from their favorite movies, some who could tell jokes, some who knew when it was time to leave, some who could dance, some who slept better during the day, some who thought heroically, some who believed in justice, some whose nights were riddled with nightmares, some who had only a few days left in Iraq and some who had just arrived, some who had voted, some who loved the color blue, some who loved gadgets, some who played guitar, some who sang beautifully and some who thought they sang beautifully, some who wrote thank you notes, some who had lost something dear to them, some who believed it was all good...
Kate Ingold, Broken Windows
