The Poem of the Month (January, 2010): EARTHQUAKE

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"Haiti Earthquake 2010 -- An Abstract"

Graphic design (Toronto: January 29, 2010) © Joachim Romeo D'Costa

Earthquake

By Jerome D'Costa

Life was running its normal course.

All of a sudden everything shakes and jerks,

Everything heaves and wobbles.

Then boom! The hell breaks loose.

Buildings collapse, roads crumble,

Humans get trapped underneath rubble.

Trees are uprooted,

Many active lives fall silent forever.

Those still living, moan, cry and shriek.

The air turns heavy with dust and smoke.

There's a string of loss everywhere.

Numerous children become instant orphans,

Many parents are reduced to childlessness.

The burden of loss sits heavy on everyone's heart.

Again the living ones get up, retrieve whatever they can,

Their belongings, movable properties.

After much grief and bereavement,

Their life goes on anew, hope and confidence propel them forward.