© Debbie Razey 2023 - Violet Moon Poetry
© Debbie Razey 2023 - Violet Moon Poetry
Two apparitions, statue of Eros, sleeping lions... it's hard to say
Lodged beneath broken plinths of jagged concrete... ripped apart by jaws of quake
Billowing dust clouds, fall upon victims… diaphanous burial shrouds
Torches searching demolished ruins; grave stillness... so deafeningly loud!
Thirty-six long, horrific hours; lay battered, frozen… trying hard to breathe
World prays for rescuers, whilst sister strokes her brother’s hair... so tenderly
Small bridge to nowhere, her tiny body shelters... hides sibling’s frightened face
Orange-jacketed, hard-hat angels swarm; will they reach them... before too late
Mouths dryer than coarse sandbags, hoarse through crying; dehydrated... they need help!
Jinan, she’s ten and suffering blood loss... large iron rod’s impaled through leg
Bold Trojan stark, against ghost town; concertina buildings... devoid of air
Mass fatalities stack, stale foul stench; volunteers futilely... try repair
Ever aware of ticking hands’ shadow; hourglass draining... foreboding clock
Toppled lives displaced by tremors, it may stretch decades… grief’s aftershock
Countless remains... heads bowed desolate; crushed lives… entire families laid waste
Seismic emotions erupt in wailings; aftermath... cataclysmic fate
But rescuers can’t implode; swallow, like chasm... desperation’s heartbreak
Even search dogs are becoming despondent... as there’s no one left to save
Suddenly, Jinan’s muffled pleas are noticed... from the dust-drenched, mangled maze
Disbelief ricochets... as rumblings break fatigue’s sunken, murky glaze
Whistles shrill... ring like bells; hope’s spell extinguishes... dissociative haze
Brave rescuers spring to action... little consideration for own health
Balancing on precarious ledges, fishing through debris’... death-trap wells
Two ashen, wide-eyed waifs; gently hoisted to safety... from dire pit of hell!
Haggard, multi-nation faces rejoice; hands gesticulate... all is well!
Frail rag-doll children, pulled from home’s carnage, through teamwork... miracles take place
Saved, a nine-month-old, Abdullah... still wrapped safely in his sister’s embrace
Beyond heroic, selfless sacrifice... tears of joy are gratefully spilt
Soothingly, cleansing their tired, bloodshot eyes; thousand-yard stares... opaque with silt
Search and Rescue, now likely traumatised, will need some time... themselves to heal
Through Middle East’s courage, international aid... love’s grace has been revealed
As even from the darkest abyss... of inhumane, fractured tragedy;
kindness again illuminates healing’s power... empathy’s majesty
Let’s unite, in reverent symphony... a celebration of ourselves
Somewhere, we can all reside together; reinforced... by love’s boundless wealth
© Debbie Razey 2023 - Violet Moon Poetry
