The Aftermath Poem by Cheryl Adair

in the distance i can hear
the approach of the planes
bringing their fiery death
which they dropp like rain

there is smoke all around me
as i watch my city burn
destruction is unlimited
it's everywhere i turn

even as it happens
i find it hard to believe
standing amid this chaos
my heart feels too numb to grieve

this place once so filled
with happy loving friends
has turned into a graveyard
and the misery never ends

our homes lie in ruins
our lives mixed with the dirt
right now there is only sadness
but tomorrow - anger and hurt

how great that hurt shall be
and how hopeless we shall feel
when we look again and see
that this nightmare is REAL

war isn't supposed to happen
on your very own street
making the houses crumble
into dust around your feet

it happens 'over there'
and always 'to them'
it's a horror we only hear about
with details sordid and grim

yet here it is in front of me
it's hanging in the air
it smells like death and hatred
it feels like no one cares

i see many others like me
wandering through the city
not worried about their 'things'
not seeking anyones pity

all we want is to see a face
anyones face but our own
we need some consolation
to know we aren't alone

it's such a scarey feeling
not knowing what you'll find
and it's so very lonely
for those who are left behind

i cannot help but wonder
how we'll ever manage to cope
i see no light at the end
i dare not even to hope

hope cannot un-do
the damage thats been done
hope cannot disperse the clouds
that hide us from the sun

hope is just an illusion
and yet it's all we've got
to pull us from this wretchedness
where they left us all to rot

and what is it for
what have they gained
can they truly not regret
having caused all this pain

and where do we go from here
the world we knew has ended
we're covered in the dust of our dreams
the devil has ascended..................................

(1985)