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Five Fingers

Hanoi, North Vietnam
December 19, 1972

“My mother had a friend whose husband worked at a factory that was bombed,” Mrs. Vuong said. “The woman hurried to the factory as soon as she heard the news. She saw that it was smoking - it had burned. She couldn’t see anything. But she wanted to find her husband, even if he was dead. But he wasn’t there. Just ruins.

“She walked through the smoke and ashes, and she saw, lying among the cinders, one finger. A human finger with a ring on it. Their wedding ring! She knew that her husband was dead. She took the finger home and had it buried. She kept the ring. And this year she gave the ring to her son, when he got married.”

New York, New York
September 11, 2001

“My mother had a friend whose husband worked at the World Trade Center,” Mrs. Johnson said. “The woman went to ground zero a few days later. She couldn’t see anything. But she wanted to find her husband, even if he was dead. But he wasn’t there. Just ruins.

“She walked through the smoke and ashes, and she saw, lying among the cinders, one finger. A human finger with a ring on it. Their wedding ring! She knew that her husband was dead. She took the finger home and had it buried. She kept the ring. And this year she gave the ring to her son, when he got married.”

Kabul Afghanistan
October 7, 2001

“My mother had a friend whose husband worked at the airport,” Mrs. Sarobi said. “The woman hurried to the airport as soon as she heard the news. She saw that it was smoking - it had burned. She couldn’t see anything. But she wanted to find her husband, even if he was dead. But he wasn’t there. Just ruins.

“She walked through the smoke and ashes, and she saw, lying among the cinders, one finger. A human finger with a ring on it. Their wedding ring! She knew that her husband was dead. She took the finger home and had it buried. She kept the ring. And this year she gave the ring to her son, when he got married.”

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
April 19, 1995

“My mother had a friend whose husband worked at the Federal building,” Mrs. Bennett said. “The woman hurried to the building as soon as she heard the news. She saw that it was smoking - it had burned. She couldn’t see anything. But she wanted to find her husband, even if he was dead. But he wasn’t there. Just ruins.

“She walked through the smoke and ashes, and she saw, lying among the cinders, one finger. A human finger with a ring on it. Their wedding ring! She knew that her husband was dead. She took the finger home and had it buried. She kept the ring. And this year she gave the ring to her son, when he got married.”

Baghdad, Iraq
March 20, 2003

“My mother had a friend whose husband worked at a factory that was bombed,” Mrs. Zannoun said. “The woman hurried to the factory as soon as she heard the news. She saw that it was smoking - it had burned. She couldn’t see anything. But she wanted to find her husband, even if he was dead. But he wasn’t there. Just ruins.

“She walked through the smoke and ashes, and she saw, lying among the cinders, one finger. A human finger with a ring on it. Their wedding ring! She knew that her husband was dead. She took the finger home and had it buried. She kept the ring. And this year she gave the ring to her son, when he got married.”

© 2009 Nathan Verrill.