'Someone's Child'
On St. Valentine's day in 1981 a fire broke out in a hotel/disco club in Dublin. This resulted in the death's of 48 young children. It also brought a nation to it's knees and forced the Government to make major changes to the fire regulations. I wrote this piece on the 30th anniv. of this shocking moment of time.
Some only children, but all someone's child,
A room of a thousand screams,
Of wasted tears of hopes and dreams,
A date on a calendar; now defiled.
Pot-holes filled with the evenings rain,
Avoided by the countless young feet
That scamper to enter, to meet and to greet,
Of hugs and excitement with no thoughts of pain.
Some hold hands beneath deciduous trees,
Awaiting growth in Spring from their Autumn grave,
Youth, oblivious of cold like children kiss and tease,
The absurdity of it all will call on none but the brave.
The smiles and expectations of faces unfrightened,
All believing their love is special,
But is this a beauty even God has abandoned,
Or set aside two-score and eight in heavens chancel.
Their cries will awaken the dead of night,
There is no escape, imprisoned without trial,
Their innocence unquestioned, freedom their right,
My God, who has committed this act so vile.
Piercing screams reduced to to cries, reduced to whimpers,
Teens gathered in huddled groups, stand silent in hazy rain,
The only sound now is the cracking of burning embers,
The innocent; their battle has ended, for others, a life of pain.
Parents stare and cry out; mine's not in there ---
Is she? Is he? Where is my child?
The air's now filled with wasted tears, of hopes and dreams,
A date on a calendar; now defiled.
By adthomas
© 2012 adthomas
(All rights reserved)
| |
