Art & Poetry

A Decade On

It was just another Boxing Day

A decade ago, some may say

Early morning bliss was soon ruffled

Waves had come to make their claim

The land was calm, sound asleep

A full moon in the sky called for a lie in

Drowsy dreams of all, awoken

By the crashing wall of water

With no care for caste or creed

The devastation spread across the seas

The island was soon engulfed

In waters of full swing

The results were damning

What was once there, was no more

What was once him or her was now only a memory

The island united, buried its dead

Let the lessons of that day

Live with us forevermore

Let the healing continue

Let the nightmares end and the dreams begin

By Boycy - Sri Lanka.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF BOXING DAY

A DIFFERENT KIND OF BOXING DAY

So many miles away I seem to have left my heart,

In the midst of a paradise that was torn apart.

It took a hard journey just to realise,

Life’s but an illusion before our very eyes.

And each day we live it and plan ahead,

Here at university from my warm campus bed.

I cannot seek ignorance and hide in its bliss,

I’ve seen so many nightmares, on nobody I would wish.

And every day, the memory of the panicking climbs,

Away from the Tsunamis and its unsanctioned crimes.

And as we struggled up the rocks, our bodies became weak,

Only adrenaline divided us: the alive from the deceased.

There was no time to wonder ‘if’ or grieve for those below,

Up upon the rocks that day, our souls began to grow.

Too tired to keep escaping, we had to let go,

Fear would not excuse us, if we had to face death row.

So we returned to the refuge and decided not to move,

Tending to the injured, with only words to soothe.

Persistent threats...another wave-panic filled the air,

So many died, so fast- so much despair.

But the water had no sympathy, for who it chose that day,

For anyone who played with it, or lay upon its bay.

As the heat rose steadily, the smells grew intense,

Death was everywhere, death in every sense.

I have never seen such sadness or made such true friends,

We all helped each other with whatever we had to lend.

And then Tim said a ‘grave must be dug’

So soon they carried bloated bodies through the soaking mud.

As we observed from the hotel slope that day,

We saw how death’s our leveller when it takes us away.

Now back to all your faces, I’m so glad to see,

If only life was enough to get a damn degree.

And though it’s not easy, I’ve been extremely blessed,

I wouldn’t take my journey back, but I would for those who rest.

BY GAIA LAMBERT

Thank you for creating this space to invite us to remember a day that has shaped so many people on such a big scale over the world. Here is a image and words I told myself at the rockhouse and I have kept in my mind since the tsunami.Wishing you a smooth and loved transisition into the new year. And I will light a candle in memory of the day on the 26th. Feel free to post my painting which i just drew and poem (from January 2005)on the blog http://www.floweroflife7.blogspot.ch/ 

-GAIA LAMBERT

Saludos desde España