Weekly Photo Challenge: Horizon

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November 11, 2013 by allsho

The line where the sky meets the earth.

November 11th 1918 marks the end of one of history’s greatest tragedies. In Italy WWI’s final  armistice is celebrated on Nov 4th, as the Austrian Empire surrendered a few days before the German.

A war with an extremely heavy death toll. A war where trench warfare left permanent scars in uncounted families, communities, and even in the territory.

Many trenches, tunnels, bunkers are still visible in the Italian Nort-Eastern mountains, in places where I can just imagine young men looking out at the horizon, hoping one day to go back to their homes, against the despair for having seen so many friends and comrades fall defending a homeland that will be able to thank them only with a grave.

Looking out at the horizon: the line that separates the sky from the earth, hope from desperation, the faces of the loved ones from those of the fallen.

I find today is a good day to look at the horizon: we may be for or against, descend from those who won or lost, but we should all be able to walk a mile in those heavy boots on those dangerous tracks. We would probably value peace in a different, deeper way.

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(Weekly Photo Challenge @ The Daily Post)