A DIFFERENT KIND OF BOXING DAY

So many miles away I seem to have left my heart,

In the midst of a paradise that was torn apart.

It took a hard journey just to realise,

Life’s but an illusion before our very eyes.

And each day we live it and plan ahead,

Here at university from my warm campus bed.

I cannot seek ignorance and hide in its bliss,

I’ve seen so many nightmares, on nobody I would wish.

And every day, the memory of the pa nicking climbs,

Away from the Tsunamis and its unsanctioned crimes.

And as we struggled up the rocks, our bodies became weak,

Only adrenaline divided us: the alive from the deceased.

There was no time to wonder ‘if’ or grieve for those below,

Up upon the rocks that day, our souls began to grow.

Too tired to keep escaping, we had to let go,

Fear would not excuse us, if we had to face death row.

So we returned to the refuge and decided not to move,

Tending to the injured, with only words to soothe.

Persistent threats...another wave-panic filled the air,

So many died, so fast- so much despair.

But the water had no sympathy, for who it chose that day,

For anyone who played with it, or lay upon its bay.

As the heat rose steadily, the smells grew intense,

Death was everywhere, death in every sense.

I have never seen such sadness or made such true friends,

We all helped each other with whatever we had to lend.

And then Tim said a ‘grave must be dug’

So soon they carried bloated bodies through the soaking mud.

As we observed from the hotel slope that day,

We saw how death’s our leveller when it takes us away.

Now back to all your faces, I’m so glad to see,

If only life was enough to get a damn degree.

And though it’s not easy, I’ve been extremely blessed,

I wouldn’t take my journey back, but I would for those who rest.

BY GAIA LAMBERT