The island at half-staff
- Written by Granma
- Published in Cuba
- Hits: 761
A week after Friday, May 6, the Havana corner where the Saratoga Hotel proudly stood remains a sad place. Like that unlucky Friday, this one is somber, with the interiors of the building and nearby homes clearly visible... the nakedness of a tragedy.
If something is different today, in addition to the settled dust and the rubble cleared, it is that the wait is over, the fight for life, that sustained the hopes of families and all of Cuba, has ended.
With the discovery of the last body, the implacable certainty of 45 persons dead is unavoidable. Each and every one hurts, because, whatever their age, we see ourselves in their lost dreams, their lost loves. No one could escape the thought: "It could have been me," "It could have been my family."
Nonetheless, resounding beauties that fill the soul have emerged from the disaster, especially the ferocity with which our search and rescue heroines and heroes worked tirelessly amidst the bricks and iron, despite the danger and fatigue, and continued, even as the possibility of finding a survivor grew dim, to give loved ones the comfort of a body, of closure. They lightened the load for those who, with kindness and integrity, gave and give of themselves to heal, inform, assist, donate, restore, lead.
As a sign of great respect, a National Day of Mourning was declared when the search was completed, but the people have been mourning across the island, all week. Just as the flag waves at half-staff, there is pain in the chests of our good people, where we will always feel a twinge when we hear the word Saratoga spoken.
