I see a cloud
of gray
of ash and smoke
I hear the screams
as a child rins by
naked
frightened
with a rag doll in her arms
Her face is drenched in tears
and her little body
is soaked in blood
not her own
but her mother's
I cannot help but shed a tear
For it is so sad
Among the burning shacks
and desecrated crops
lie bodies
writhing and mangled bodies
of men and women
of children
someone's daughter
someone's son
Again I shed a tear
and I leave
In the safety of my home
I turn on the TV
The image is clear
There's a man
and he's excited
"They surrender"
he exclaims
and I feel like screaming
But it's not over yet
There's a parade downtown
Full of confetti and ticker-tape
I watch the cleaners
head up and down the street
trying to pick of the pieces
and I think
of the little girl with the doll
as she does the same
And the think that we
believe in God

04/02/2002

Posted on 04/02/2002
Copyright © 2024 Melina Raven Maness Diebold