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People of the Sydney siege - a poem



          I wrote this the day the siege ended (16.12.14), before I really knew about the Pakistani massacre, which was by far a  more horrific event, but which in no way diminishes the horror of the Sydney siege. All of the politics and bullshit aside, there is the human element which should never be overlooked.

(On a personal note, my daughter's mother was only a few blocks away and was in lockdown at her work. It was quite worrying, especially in the early hours when nobody knew what was taking place.)








Poem for the people of the Sydney siege

I
A bright Monday morning
Like many others
Aside from the expectant hum
Of a looming Christmas
And the purpose laden crowds.

When a spectre emerges
A court jester escapee
Driven and deranged
Seizes the day
Blocking out the sun.             

The night draws its cloak around us
Closing off options
Shutting out the world
Narrowing all hope
To this.

The only place left on earth
The last place
To wish to be.

When familiar adored faces
Beam elsewhere
Awaiting
The brush of fingers – a trail
The soothing, all-encompassing joy
Of a mere hug
A paradise lost
And all that has ever mattered…

Will it come again?
A forgotten land
A discarded map
History rewritten
To encapsulate the new theme
The alternate slant of light
With a permanent stain
The dark brutality strikes
To alter the spectrum
For us all


With the fallen
Left in its wake.



II

I’ll wait for you alone
By a tree
A river
A front door
I’ll meet you there
In that place
Far from here
In tomorrow
Or yesterday
A time alternate
It matters not
Envelop me
And I’ll commit a lifetime.






Rest In Peace
Thoughts with the victims and their families and all those held hostage that day.






4 comments:

  1. Beautiful, evocative and moving poem. Thank you Anthony for sharing your talent in this way.

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  2. Great poem. I think it will come again, we will return to whatever drove our lives.In a few weeks it will be surplanted by something else, probably Kim Kardasian's boobs. I suppose it will just add to the general fear that many people enjoy living with. Bad news in Pakistan.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your poetry brings me to tears. Thank you for this tribute. xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you dear friends. New world order. Nowhere's safe anymore.

    ReplyDelete

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