Christmas 2004 (In Memoriam) Poem by willow moon pearce

Hot, sunny and bright
So pleased to be here at Christmas
Away from grey and wet europe
Making the most of this God blessed Island.

People shouting and running, terrified cries
Of stricken English and Thai
A huge mass of water has swept the beach
And rams quickly into the Hotels, Shops and Houses.

Water thickened by cars, beach furniture, debris and bodies
Engulf everything.
Boiling and destructive it sweeps in
Destroying and killing without compunction.

I cling to and climb a cocoanut palm
Hold it in a death grip, watching
In horror as this day becomes
A killing ground.

What seems like hours the water recedes
And I see the dead, face down
And turning in the current, like leaves in a pond.

Native women are wailing and sand -covered children
Crying names of people screamed at the receding water.
I descend from my tree and cover my eyes
I want to cry but I can only wail
At this punishment of happy people
On a clear, hot day.