On the trading floor of the open outcry pit, as Empire strikes rain down over the ruins / Wislawa Szymborska: Discovery

A reflection on waste liquid shows a woman wawing Turkish and Free Syrian flags as an aid convoy to Aleppo organized by IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation is about to leave, on December 14, 2016 in Istanbul. Turkey's aid campaign for the besieged people of Aleppo continued with several nongovernmental organizations sending food, water and clothing. / AFP PHOTO / OZAN KOSEOZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images

A reflection on waste liquid shows a woman waving Turkish and Free Syrian flags as an aid convoy to Aleppo is about to leave Istanbul for Syria.: photo by Ozan Kose/AFP, 14 December 2016

Wislawa Szymborska: Discovery

I believe in the great discovery.
I believe in the man who will make the discovery.
I believe in the fear of the man who will make the discovery.

I believe in his face going white,
his queasiness, his upper lip drenched in cold sweat.

I believe in the burning of his notes,
burning them into ashes,
burning them to the last scrap.

I believe in the scattering of numbers,
scattering them without regret.

I believe in the man’s haste,
in the precision of his movements,
in his free will.

I believe in the shattering of tablets,
the pouring out of liquids,
the extinguishing of rays.

I am convinced this will end well,
that it will not be too late,
that it will take place without witnesses.

I’m sure no one will find out what happened,
not the wife, not the wall,
not even the bird that might squeal in its song.

I believe in the refusal to take part.
I believe in the ruined career.
I believe in the wasted years of work.
I believe in the secret taken to the grave.

These words soar for me beyond all rules
without seeking support from actual examples.
My faith is strong, blind, and without foundation.

Wislawa Szymborska (1923-2012): Discovery, from Poems New and Collected 1957-1997, translated by Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh

Da #Istanbul partirà un convoglio di aiuti diretto ad #Aleppo #syria. Speriamo che lla stupidità non lo fermi. @ozannkosee @DonnaModerna: image via SAMANTHA PASCOTTO @SAMAPAS, 14 December 2016

#Turkish football player write on his shirt (In #Aleppo there's a Genocide): image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 14 December 2016

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - Bosnian protest in Sarajevo to raise their voice against killing in Aleppo. By Elvis Barukcic: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 14 December 2016

#Bosnia Protest in #Sarajevo against killing in #Aleppo #AFP Photo by By Elvis Barukcic: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY,15 December 2016

UK - Demonstration in solidarity with the inhabitants of the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo in London. By @DSorabji #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffard AFP, 14 December 2016

FRANCE - The lights of the Eiffel Tower are exceptionally switched off in Paris in support of the Syrian city of Aleppo. By @philippe_lopez: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffard AFP, 15 December 2016

Paris avec les habitants d’Alep / Paris supports the people of #Aleppo / باريس مع سكان حلب #Syria #Syrie #Alep: image via Ane Hidalgo @Anne_Hidalgo, 14 December 2016

SAVE Aleppo #Paris #eiffeltowerTower blacks out for #Aleppo yesterday night #AFP Photo by @philippe_lopez: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY,15 December 2016

#Syria Smoke rising from buildings in #Aleppo southeastern al-Zabdiya neighbourhood following government strikes yesterday #AFP @AFPPhoto: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY,15 December 2016

Photo of ppl waiting for evacuation I received from #Aleppo just now by activist: image via Hadeel Al-Shaichi @hadeelaish,15 December 2016

My brother and my colleague in SCD, Baibrs, was shot by Assad's sniper while he was contributing in evacuation of the injured in #Aleppo: image via Ismail Alabdullah @ishmael12345611,15 December 2016

SYRIA - Deadly clashes erupted in Aleppo as a deal for the evacuation of rebel areas was put on hold. By @KaramAlmasri25 #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffard AFP, 13 December 2016

SYRIA - Smoke rising from buildings in Aleppo's southeastern al-Zabdiya neighbourhood following government air strikes. By @AFPphoto #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffard AFP, 14 December 2016
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In the streets of an opposition quarter of East Aleppo on Tuesday: photo by Wissam Zarda, 13 December 2016

Initial reports of many civilians injured after Sukari, Ansari and Al Etha'a neighborhoods in #Aleppo city were targeted with artillery shells: tweet via The White Helmets @SyriaCivilDef, 14 December 2016

The @SyriaCivilDef teams says: In #Aleppo We hear the cries of children under the rubble while we can't help: image via Majd khalaf @majdkhlafa19931, 12 December 2016

The human (and feline) face of displacement [Aleppo 14 December photo by @KaramAlmasri25 #AFP]: image via Jeff Crisp @JFCrisp, 14 December 2016

Syrians fleeing a rebel-held area of Aleppo on Tuesday. Evacuations were set to begin early today, but there were reports of delays and renewed shelling:photo by Karam Al-Masri/Agence France-Presse. 14 December 2016

#standwithaleppo That what today early morning #aleppo looked like: image via Rami Zien @Rami_Zien, 14 December 2016

Just being hit with Artillery. Photo from my balcony Be aware THERE IS NO EVACUATION... NO SAFE EXIT. NO CEASEFIRE. No PEOPLE GETTING OUT: image via Rami Zien @Rami_Zien, 9 December 2016

100 day of siege.... 35 days in the previous siege This is #aleppo Everyone #StandWithAleppo Ph: one of the greatest markets was running: image via Rami Zien @Rami_Zien, 2 December 2016

They left a flower behind, to guard their souls, the souls of loved ones they lost and their beloved city, they only left love behind!: image via Khaled Khatib @995Khaled, 14 December 2016

SYRIA - Smoke billows from the former rebel-held district of Bustan al-Qasr in Aleppo. By @KaramAlmasri25 #AFP: imagevia Frédérique Geffard @fgeffard AFP, 13 December 2016

SYRIA - A Syrian child cooks in the street in a rebel-held area of Aleppo. By @AFPphoto #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffard AFP, 14 December 2016

SYRIA - Pro-government forces take a selfie in the courtyard of the ancient Umayyad mosque in Aleppo. By George Ourfalian #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffard AFP, 14 December 2016

SYRIA - A member of the Syrian government forces stands in a damaged street in Aleppo's A-Kalasseh neighbourhood. By George Ourfalian #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffard AFP, 13 December 2016

#Syria Government forces stand in damaged streets in newly captured Al-Kalasseh neighbourhood #Aleppo #AFP Photo by George Ourfalian: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 13 December 2016

Aleppo: Nobody can claim victory in a context of such intense human suffering and proliferation of horrific violence: photo via Al Jazeera News, 15 December 2016

A Chinese cook stands in the window of a local fish restaurant as he talks on his phone on December 14, 2016 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

A Chinese cook stands in the window of a fish restaurant in Beijing as he talks on his phone: photo by Kevin Frayer, 14 December 2016

A trader speaks on fixed-line telephones on the trading floor of the open outcry pit at the London Metal Exchange Ltd, in London: photo by Simon Dawson/Bloomberg, 14 December 2016

A herd of reindeers is seen inside an enclosure as herders select and sort them in the settlement of Krasnoye in Nenets Autonomous District, Russia, November 28, 2016. Picture taken November 28, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. SEARCH "REINDEER ARCTIC" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. - RTX2UYV0

A herd of reindeers is seen inside an enclosure as herders select and sort them in the settlement of Krasnoye, Russia: photo Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters, 14 December 2016

A performer dressed as the Marvel comic character Iron Man arrives at the new attraction "Iron Man Experience" during a media tour in Hong Kong Disneyland, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016. Hong Kong Disneyland added an Iron Man-themed area in the hopes that the Marvel superhero's success at the Chinese box office will help draw more visitors to the underachieving resort. The Iron Man Experience include a thrill ride that will let visitors "take flight with Iron Man on an epic adventure" involving a "battle against alien invaders" across Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

A performer dressed as the Marvel comic character Iron Man arrives at the new attraction “Iron Man Experience” during a media tour at Disneyland in Hong Kong: photo Kin Cheung/AP, 14 December 2016

Demonstrators clash with police during a protest in front of the National Congress in Brasilia on December 13, 2016. Brazil's Senate approved Tuesday a 20-year freeze on government spending billed as the centerpiece of austerity reforms aimed at restoring economic health to the troubled Latin American giant. / AFP PHOTO / ANDRESSA ANHOLETEANDRESSA ANHOLETE/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators clash with police during a protest in front of the National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil: photo by Andressa Anholet/AFP, 14 December 2016