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Bosnia,
A Brief Encounter–1998
Tom
Davis
ALL
ALONG THE narrow two-lane road that snaked through the mountains we
saw evidence of ethnic cleansing—houses totally destroyed, not
just pockmarked by gun fire. In the cleansing process, the opposing
sides would place large mines inside each corner of a home and tie
them in with detonation cord. When they set off the explosives, the
charges effectively blew out the four corners, causing the house to
cave in on itself. We saw rows and rows of houses destroyed, then
rows and rows of untouched homes. Even amidst this senseless
destruction, I saw children pulling sleds, throwing snowballs, and
chasing each other through the snow. The resilience of these youths
amazed me.
I had also heard that this country had some of the most beautiful
scenery in Europe. I saw evidence of this as we slowly made our way
through the mountains. Ice-choked waterfalls tumbled down steep
cliffs. Crystal waters raced over stream beds dotted with rock
islands. Evergreens wrapped in snow produced a blanket of green and
white that covered the valley floor. Shear granite-gray rock walls
stood imposingly in the distance, a challenge to any mechanized
force that might oppose them.
Each day during our travels, we saw wrecked vehicles lying beside
the road, wheels up, like giant road-killed armadillos. The driver
and passengers would invariably be standing around with their hands
shoved in their pockets, shoulders hunched against the driving wind
and snow, wondering what to do.
As we passed through the various towns, I was puzzled by laundry
hanging above the balconies. How could anyone expect it to dry in
the snow and rain and sleet and fog? Another curiosity was the
number of people walking beside the road, day and night. I don’t
mean just in the cities but along mountain roads, weaving through
miles and miles of rural nothing. Where did these people dressed in
their dark clothes and wearing their sad faces come from? Where were
they going?
Tom Davis’ publishing credits include Poets
Forum, The Carolina Runner, Triathlon Today, Georgia Athlete, The
Fayetteville Observer’s Saturday Extra, A Loving Voice Vol. I and
II, Special Warfare., and Winston-Salem Writers’ POETRY IN
PLAIN SIGHT program for 2013 and 2021. He has authored several
books. Tom, A retired Special Forces soldier, has completed his
memoir, The Most Fun I ever Had With My Clothes: On A March from
Private to Colonel. He lives in Sylva, NC. |
