May 2018
Death of Aleppo
Sara L Russell 1st May 2018
When I saw your before-and-after
how I cried
I died a thousand deaths
on your bleak soil
a golden city built on hope and pride
now rubble, bloodied waters
and turmoil
Despoil is not the word
to fit the scene
Annihilate seems closer
to the mark
a land devoured by the war machine
once here, a fountain
there a local park
In stark contrast to
all that's left today
bereft of everything you once
held dear
What went before is lost and blown away
the aftermath seems now
forever here
When we saw your before and after
photographs
flat epitaphs of never-
ending pain
condolences in tiny paragraphs
appeared in hollow hashtags
once again.
Sara L Russell 1st May 2018
When I saw your before-and-after
how I cried
I died a thousand deaths
on your bleak soil
a golden city built on hope and pride
now rubble, bloodied waters
and turmoil
Despoil is not the word
to fit the scene
Annihilate seems closer
to the mark
a land devoured by the war machine
once here, a fountain
there a local park
In stark contrast to
all that's left today
bereft of everything you once
held dear
What went before is lost and blown away
the aftermath seems now
forever here
When we saw your before and after
photographs
flat epitaphs of never-
ending pain
condolences in tiny paragraphs
appeared in hollow hashtags
once again.
Before and after (the war) photos of Aleppo can be found all over the internet and in YouTube videos. Other countries (including the UK) often send targeted missile strikes when sending food and medical aid would be so much better.
