Wednesday 16 January 2008

Upon seeing a photo of an Iraqi mother and her dead child…

We have never met
But even in a photo flashed across the tv screen,
I see your tears
and feel the pain that cannot be expressed in words,
the deep bottomless sorrow too much to endure.

Your child is gone.
Lost to this senseless invasion
Small arms that only yesterday wrapped round your neck,
Still and broken
A tiny cheek that pressed against yours as she last drifted off to sleep,
Cold and crushed
Eyes that looked to you for love
And safety
And a reason for the reasonless bombs,
Now stare sightlessly upward
As though focused where just a day before a roof sheltered her from the rain

Now the very sky cries for her
And for you
As you cradle her fragile body
Wondering why you survived and she did not
Asking of God why people came from so far away to take your child’s life

A world away, helpless,
I cry too

4 comments:

derick said...

lindsay,
the mindset of the current world order breeds fear and ensures the justification of protecting national interests----whose sometimes we are not quite sure of
thanks
the more that people are able to identify with each other as human beings and not as being part of the collaterel damage syndrome, the less situations we will allow our goverments to place us into and believe what they say---they are but politicians and should be humble servants of the people---i know that is still a long way down the track---but each voice raised in one in the right direction.

Anonymous said...

This is very poignant and heartwrenching, thanks for sharing.

anitica said...

Very nice blog.. heart touching. I am crying while reading this. good work.

Anonymous said...

This is beautifully written and very, very moving. And so is your blog. Thank you for writing it.