Fifty-Seven

This is a tribute to the victims of the Maguindanao Massacre.

There were fifty-seven
Men, women, and children.
No one was spared-
They ambushed even the innocent.

There were fifty-seven,
Fifty-seven people,
Who were attacked by greed-hungry politicians.

Skulls were cracked,
Mercilessly broken-
Their blood vainly overflowed
For another ruthless man's wealth to grow.

Buried in a huge pile of dirt,
Plenty a tear was cried
As fifty-seven corpses were recovered from the earth.

Paid army men
Caused the end of 57;
Sabotaging the bodies and souls
Of these hardworking citizens.

Justice has to be served;
But power and prestige remain unslaughtered,
And also on May 2010,
A few days later,
The murder of fifty-seven
Was merely forgotten.

The case was trashed
By the judge
As these power-wealthy politicians
Paid their way out of blame.
They try to clear their name-
Working corrupt ways of fame;
But in our hearts and minds it would remain.

And this I pray,
That forever they would walk in shame-
Heads bowed,
Hands cuffed,
Tortured and beaten
Like what they paid to do to those fifty-seven.

Reviews

[Jasmarine]

Wow. Intense...I actually didn't hear about this one. But the people who caused this pain deserve to have it done to them.

[AbsentElements]

Somehow I have never heard of this massacre but it sounds awful. The ending is perfect, explaining what I'm sure everyone wishes could happen. Very nicely explained.

[Shalini Dinesh (Poet's ..]

Am sorry i am not aware of the 57, but other than that your write was really very sad and kind of brutal for the sake of ones wealth and growth... the repetition of 57 was good as many others have already said. overall this was a fantastic write.

[PaperHearts]

Wow, that was incredible! The passion and intensity that you put into this piece amazed me, especially in the way you turned this tragedy from an event merely made of facts, to a story, with hearts and souls involved. I loved the repetition of 'fifty-seven', as I thought that it really pulled at the heartstrings, and made this poem a moving, powerful read. Thank you so much for sharing. :)
~PaperHearts

[Rick Puetter]

Dear rachielle,

We in the United States are largely ignorant of goings on in the rest of the world. It's a sort of arrogance, I guess, that I hope we'll lose one day. But this was a powerful write regarding the recent 2009 election tragedy in the Philipines. How horrible. Since this is an issue of human freedom, one would hope that all the world will take notice. This is extremely well written and mirrors the absolute horror of the situation: "There were fifty-seven". My God, "There were fifty-seven"!

Excellent poem. Keep playing our conscience, and please hold us to a higher standard. We need reminding that people need to show companssion, not greed and a quest for power.

Best regards,

Rick

[♥(heatherawesome..]

thats a really great poem i like it

[Amy Bumpas]

Great, powerful poem. It speaks the truth of so many
unjustified. Greed, power hungry, sad way our world
has come to.

The ending says it all: And this I pray,
That forever they would walk in shame-
Heads bowed,
Hands cuffed,
Tortured and beaten
Like what they paid to do to those fifty-seven.
It makes you think will anyone get what they deserve, will the innocent
get what they deserve.

[James Watts]

This world in which we live is an evil one. No one seems to understand the true meanings of importance anymore and would place an innocent life over the dollar. However, in this economy, the dollar will soon be worthless. But there will always be something, such as gold, that greedy men will seek.

[An owl on the moon]

Each in the number a name... lost so tragically.. You powerfully tell their story, and may it never be forgotten.. Such precious people destroyed by those who only care about themselves.. an endless hunger for more.

[Devons]

This is a good (part-prose) story poem. It casts a human light upon the futile destruction of life; illuminating the wasteful path that powerful people cut through the world in order to maintain that power. And in quite a real sense this poem is an important testimony to those lost lives, and therefore an historical document. It shows us a real side to events that the media cannot or will not sincerely convey. It leaves you feeling a desire to learn more of the incident; to be enlightened. And I think that fulfills its purpose.