Paradise Poem by Ray Hansell

Now, I never lived there
But I saw the destruction
It's going to take many years
And a whole lot of construction

To rebuild a town
Completely burned down
Survey the area and you'll see
Total devastation all around

So many lives lost
So many souls destroyed
In every life that lived there
There's now a huge void

Thousands of memories
Gone in a flash
All that's left behind
Are just piles of ash

Good honest people
No different from you and me
Were just living their lives
Happy and free

Burned out cars
Brick chimneys stand
Hopes have been diminished
In a once promised land

So many folks hopefully
Are going to rebuild
But will life in the future
Still hold the same thrills?

I hope somewhere down the road
This town will again rise
Out of the ashes
Reborn from demise

Prayers and hopes
Are with them each day
Hoping real soon
They'll return to the Paradise way