As the evacuation of Syrians in Aleppo begins
Families on edge
Desperate and yearning to leave the once prosperous city they called home
Carrying the remnants of their lives
Children clutching their toys,
Mothers grasping at old photos and family heirlooms,
Fathers gripping blankets,
People wearing just the clothes on their backs.
The lines of sorrow and fear are etched into the faces
Of those awaiting for the large, lime coaches
Which promise them safety in Idlib
Dust from the rubble littering the city
Dust that had settled on the large windows of the coaches
Coaches, ambulances and cars
Some stationary, waiting
Some abandoned
And some trying to leave Aleppo
Red crescent ambulances left windowless
Rubble, metal wiring strewn in the streets
Dilapidated, crushed, torn buildings that were once homes
Aleppo – a ghost of what it once was.