Marks Of Woe Poem by Santosh Bakaya

Marks of Woe
[A poem triggered by the London Bridge Terror Attack of June 3,201 7]

On a warm Saturday night, London Bridge reveled
Unbeknownst, that the revellery would soon be bedeviled.
Into the dark, drizzly night, came a monster, unannounced.
Brutality rang with a loud bang; celebrations were trounced.
The refrain of hate, now held sway.
Men stabbed and slashed at revelers, merry making
Alas, which long pent-up blood lust were these demons slaking?
On London Bridge, the rain pitter-pattered
Insanity reigned; the joyous bonhomie was battered.
Chaos and helter -skelter confusion
Screams, shouts, gunfire.
The white van swerved right, hit left.
People watched horror- struck; bereft.
In indignation utter, the waves leapt
And the Themes wept.
On the sidewalk, a silhouette stood rooted
His ancient eyes, marking the people for, ‘Marks of weakness'.
But he saw none; knuckling away the ‘marks of woe'
Weeping and choked, beleaguered folks
Resiliently moved on, to a morn just born,
Where the graffiti on the wall
Said, ‘London Bridge will never fall down'.