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
-GAIA LAMBERT
Saludos desde España
