If I could write music,
I'd create a lullaby
For the ghosts of Aleppo.
It would be a gentle audible embrace,
Sweetness for those bitter spirits
Who roam over the rubble of their lives
Now wandering to nowhere,
Wondering if they can still fight.
"Goodnight, sleep tight, be well now,"
The song would say.
"It's no longer time for you
To pursue your plight."
But instead of resting,
Like the dead should,
Those ghosts would compose
A loud tune of their own -
A marching protest chant
Not to soothe any one's soul,
But to haunt the slumber of the living and the dead,
Not to soothe any one's soul,
But to haunt the slumber of the living and the dead,
lest we ever forget.
Yes, I hope those souls do haunt us. This is an unspeakable tragedy, and the world's silence is appalling!
ReplyDeleteLoved your take on the prompt. Beautifully written :)
ReplyDeleteso heartbreaking Myrna...Aleppo has become a symbol of the lowest level humanity could stoop to..
ReplyDeleteThe ghosts of Aleppo haunt me too. They are living in a man-made hell. I too find the world's lack of action appalling.
ReplyDeleteA lullaby, a lament, a dirge.
ReplyDeleteWe NEED to hear. We NEED to listen.
Wow! You have just done so. Your words will haunt me. Would it be ok to share them?
ReplyDeleteisn't it amazing how as humans we let this happen..there and in other parts of the world.. where will greed for money and power end? you have voiced important thoughts.
ReplyDeleteOne feels so helpless.
ReplyDeleteWell written!
The destruction is of nightmarish proportions. It is so terrible it is surreal. To think it is happening as we speak.I am pleased you chose this subject.Our problems seem infinitesimal compared to these poor people.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an evocative write, Myrna. You pay respect to the ghosts of Aleppo.. we need to hear and take a stand.
ReplyDeleteLike your comment your poem seems to echo the nature of lullabies too - how they can soothe forgotten souls but also how they can be a warning.. a rhythm and feeling which should never be forgotten and always sung in remembrance
ReplyDeleteStunning, Myrna! This gave me chills..... God help this world.
ReplyDelete