"MH17..."

"Who will place a marker in the field where the children are?"

 

“MH17…”

 

How many times must “angels” fall

because of another’s decision to define their existence

- their self-worth and …humanity?

- their godliness and reverence

- their perception of personal power and purpose

- the rightness and righteousness of THEIR-alone-choice

in and with the blood, hurt, fear, tears and endings

of another?

 

And I know - KNOW - there WAS

a rush of

“YESSS” - and arms raised in celebration and

TRIUMPH!!

And - “We SHOWED THEM!!”

Glad-handing and backslaps…

yells, catcalls and pride-full-shouts!

…as infants,

children

brothers, sisters, cousins, parents -

…people…

fell through and from the sky

THIRTY-THREE      THOUSAND     FEET

and impacted the unyielding earth.

 

We’ve seen it all before …we have.

Witnessed over and over and still over again

as the chosen-to-be-guilty

became memories

…of someone’s wars

…of another’s times

…of personalized slaughters by-execution-by-decapitation-

by-massacre-by-bombs-by-gas-by-snipers-by-tortures-

by-hangings-by-burnings-by-crucifixtions-by-hunger

by choice

by whim

…by merely existing.

 

We’ve seen how many mass graves discovered?  And they

and their victims were the honest sense of honor,

pride, and purpose held by …“someone”?

They were and remain HIDDEN

…hidden… hidden by purpose and choice -

Hidden because of individuals’ sense

of rightness? -for what they did?

for what was done? …yeah, right… proud

and personal monuments to their “Cause”. 

Even the rivers hold their secrets while awaiting

the cease of winter’s melt and spring’s flow.

 

And we…

we memorialize the victims -

plaques, markers, …places,

community led prayers and individual remembrances,

candlelight vigils, walks …talks, poems… shared tears

ribbons, flowers, crosses, …stars…

personal “leavings” that mean something to US -

and after - well, people return and are heart-full again

touched …again

through the years - again

but nothing -

nothing ever remains of or for

…the killer, the choice-maker.

 

Who stands now

Fist to the sky

Pride FULL

With a joyous shout of “IT WAS I!!”

“I DID THIS!!”  …anyone?

Anyone at all?

 

"Who will place a marker in the field where the children are?"

 

Damn them all to their hell.

 

Chris

 

PS:  "What they left behind."  is a gallery of images on CNN's page.

 

 

 

 

 

Strange, how much goes on ‘tween the ticks’-

tocks, the feel and self sound of each pulse-

beat, of the rushing blood paused within the eyes-

blink, while the mind’s measure of our existence

fractures

as the world

…stops.

 

 

Author's Note

Feel free

Be very careful - "What they left behind..." - breaks your soul. It isn't just one pic of just a watch ...the link is a full gallery to be cried over... a click on the pic advances you to the next and the next and...

According to a July 19, 2014 CNN report - "Eighty of the victims were children, the United Nations said."

October 14, 2014 - This past week it was reported that one of the bodies was found to be wearing an oxygen mask - the kind that deploy when a plane cabin loses air pressure... their deaths weren't ...instant.

Reviews

[Nadia Gerassimenko]

The additional link to the pictures makes this piece feel even more tragic and real.

the ability to write is well seen.. The emotions and knowledge is certainly felt...

[olla]

where is the outrage.....

[olla]

it behooves us to pause and to take time to remember.. we too often forget to remember... and in the crush of day to day life those things that should enrage us are swept to the way side.. while we are inundated with shadows of red dresses..

[LadyAnn68]

DIRECT here that is all I can say.Extremely well written clear imagery; and the artist painted his fear and torn out souls of the past memories of "the children". Bravo Chris.

[Coyote Poetry]

The poem is amazing. The description loud and strong. I picked up the dead in Bosnia and the Middle East. Guns and bombs don't have concern if child, mother or old man. New war had displaced millions with no place to go. War is cold hearten and relentless. Thank you for sharing the excellent poetry. This poem need to be read by more people.
Coyote

[Chris]

We do our best to speak up about what needs being said. It's what we do... cause we can.

[Delmar Cooper]

I will not go to "What They Left Behind." I will not choose to see it. Once, on a fair midway amongst the barkers, shils and hucksters, I asked the girl I was with if she wanted to see one of the freak show "attractions." She said she would only if I could guarantee that later she could unsee it. We passed on to other things. She was not afraid; she was a fearless girl, but she was wise. She knew that sooner or later the show would come to her. She taught me that.

[Chris]

she and you are very wise people...

[Beccy]

I expect I shall go to my grave still puzzled, (and distraught,) about how we can wreak such destruction on our fellow man, (mostly the innocent,) whilst in the same breath are capable of creating so much beauty.

I have always believed that even one co-incidence, is one too many, and the way everything on this beautiful gift of a planet meshes so perfectly together, tells me a higher hand than ours shaped it so.

When I finally get there, I shall ask why such perversity of behaviour was part of the deal.

Beccy.

[Frieda P]

Heartbreaking, senseless, there really are no words to convey the anguish...this is raw and unfortunately there is a need for it...well said Chris.

"Damn them all to their hell."

[sharonlee]

I have no words. None.

Please enter at least 25 characters.

[Baby Ricochet]

I got a pretty good idea what went through the missile crew's mind when they realized they shot down a civilian aircraft. "Who can we pin this on & How can we cover this up?" Civilians, always the sacrificial lambs at an epic slaughter they weren't invited to that crashed through their ceilings and razed their world to the ground. Like in Gaza the media is paying little attention to right now, and Iraq and Syria, and other acts of '"accidental" genocide we never hear about until white people start getting killed. Someone's going to get that missile pinned on them and it's probably not going to be the one's truly responsible. They'll blame the grunts on the ground like they always do and it will end there.

[Chris]

I heard GAZA is above 300 dead now...but I did listen as the Hamas leader - was contacted and asked live over the air DURING a news interview with an Israeli Light Colonel - the Hamas leader repeatedly turned down any ceasefire while he "crowed" about civilian casualties. On the other hand ISIS Commander has issued WRITTEN orders to Mosul Christians to pay a continuing bribe, or convert to being Muslim, or to be shot. Seems there is no end to the lengths of dictatorial repression some will go to.