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Saint-Lô

David S.
1 min readApr 30, 2019

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Saint-Lô after the WWII invasion

Capital of the ruins

Of what value is freedom

When the cost of liberation

Is obliteration

Shells, husks

Kernels pop, pop, popped

Roasted, burned black.

Jean-Baptiste Corot, La Vire à Saint-Lô (1850–1855), Museum of the Louvre

Saint-Lô was dubbed capital of the ruins by Samuel Beckett.

Beautiful place in an unfortunately strategic spot for military conquest near Normandy.

Gauls — Romans — Saxons — Bretons — Vikings — Normans — Plantaganets — French — English — French — Germans — French

Saint-Lô is the focal point of my friend Chad’s new novel: Two Like Me and You. Most of the book is humorous, but the portions set during the war take a more serious turn.

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David S.
David S.

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