And The Earth Trembles Poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen

A magnitude of 7.2 Richter,
it hit the Pacific Ring of Fire
like 32 dropped atomic bombs.
Bohol, my town, was the epicentre
And roads and bridges
folded like papers.

Not enough to disable
means of transport and
electric lines, it crippled
the standing churches in towns.
Devotees and tourists wept
as Marys and crosses tumbled down.
But church buildings are buildings
People still weep in delight
Only less than a hundred died.

Not enough of its tremor
on October 15 of 2013, it continued
to shaken the ground a thousand
times, of 3,4,5 Richter Scale,
sending men and women
out of their cracked walls and ruins
into the open space under the sky
where they spread their mats
to sleep in the nights and find
a kettle to cook food in the dark.

And they continue to wait
that blessings of mercy
may shower from above
And from all those whose
hearts are touched by the horror
when the earth continues to tremble.
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