Anguished cries pierce heat of day.
Children whimper, adults wail.
Stifling stench, human decay –
Helpless, left only to pray,
it seems to no avail.
Those whom poverty had raped,
lost still more among the rubble.
A bare living once they scraped.
Now that they have death escaped,
their misery doubled.
Homes and shops reduced to dust
Souls fly free as bodies rot
God has lost a sacred trust
Yet his people faithful must
remain, and despair not.
Across the earth, their sobs resound,
love and pity moving hearts.
Generosity abounds –
in response to pain profound,
comfort the world imparts.
Weeks and months will pass before
victims can begin to cope.
Charity will not ignore
souls who fight this hellish war,
but God must restore hope.
© January 2010
Katharine L. Sparrow
