The Cast Away
Beneath waves of Aleppo bricks
a baby girl's reborn -
from dusty womb
she leaves Mother and Father behind
her shipwrecked cries
a deliverance from hell -
or perhaps (after all) another surrender
as drone of fighter jets return
to tremble earth and sky.
by Margaret Bednar, September 30, 2016
and here https://youtu.be/63PCZktePrY is another heart-rendering video.
This is for "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Fireblossom Friday's - Emily Dickinson - Shipwreck" I hope my poem loosely qualifies for the theme - I have been disturbed lately by a number of videos similar to this one - one was of a little baby being dug from the rubble - I was also moved to see (on Fox News) a Syrian refugee family in California very thankful for being here... they had to wait for three years to be vetted and arrive in America. The father is "studying" and learning so he can work at a gas station... and wants to be independent as soon as possible for his young family. Lots to think about.
8 comments:
beautifully done Margaret. You've taken a topical story that has been broadcast all over the world and encapsulated it in a poignant poem.
Terrifying response to the challenge here -- and perfect. We think of Syrian refugees drowning off the coast of Italy, but surely Aleppo's present victims are drowning under Russian assault. While we watch.
Oh that drowning, i feel mouths filling with mortars in your words. Horrifying to read the news...
When an entire city can be likened to a shipwreck in the present day, it is cause for outcry the world over. I fear there are not enough lifeboats for all.
A difficult and sad situation. Great response to prompt. Thanks. k.
Things happen so often and we become overwhelmed with the sights and sounds that we just gasp from one atrocity to the next. We know too much and what to do about it too little.
Oh Margaret, what better metaphor for a shipwreck (of civilization!) than Aleppo? Way to go! Awesome write!
You've captured a terrifying moment in your poem, and my heart is in my throat as I read it -- such footage is why I don't turn on the TV much anymore with my children -- I do not dismiss it, but neither do I understand it. Powerful writing. Thanks for sharing.
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