HOW CAN THIS BE? (POEM)
HOW CAN THIS BE?
Two thirty, some warning! Location a lie,
Cowardly bombers walked away past children who would die.
Police ushered people to safety, so they thought,
Set up a cordon and the bombers vehicle they sought.
Ten past three, life taken - wrong side of the cordon.
It can't be, how can this be?
Young people, old people, babies unborn,
Little boys, baby girls, our people and foreign.
God gave us a gift so precious - the gift of life.
What cause, there is no cause, how can this slaughter you justify.
I can only imagine the disbelief, sheer horror and panic,
Reasons pathetic, all terrorists are satanic.
Eerie silence followed by screams as realisation brought pain,
Choking dust, death surrounds the broken and maimed.
Where's mummy, where's my child, where's dad and my friend?
For many no answer, no words to describe such an end.
A river of innocence flowed into the Strule,
How could anyone harbour murderers so cruel.
Servicemen and passers-by compelled to do the best they could,
They witnessed scenes, horrific scenes no human being should.
We pay tribute to our hospital staff and strangers who answered our plea,
Thank you carers for your words, thank you for your sympathy.
This time we 're not spared the details, we must remember this pain,
We voted for Peace, now voice your condemnation again and again.
Twenty-eight people with feelings and thoughts and hearts didn 't say a final goodbye,
No last kiss, cuddle or "love you " before we laid them down to lie.
The loved ones of the lost ones now left behind,
I sense their devastation, numbness and emptiness.
They cried, cried, cried, and will a million tears,
They'll think of their babies for the rest of their years.
How hard it will be, I feel guilty for I thank God it wasn't me,
Me who died or me the loved one left behind.
Countless numbers of people injured, inflicted with physical and mental pains to bear,
Help us God to help them and take comfort knowing thousands of good people care.
Religious borders now broken by murder - what a tragedy!
Saturday 15th August 1998, Omagh, a dark dark day in our history.
Jennifer Muldoon,
Castlederg
Two thirty, some warning! Location a lie,
Cowardly bombers walked away past children who would die.
Police ushered people to safety, so they thought,
Set up a cordon and the bombers vehicle they sought.
Ten past three, life taken - wrong side of the cordon.
It can't be, how can this be?
Young people, old people, babies unborn,
Little boys, baby girls, our people and foreign.
God gave us a gift so precious - the gift of life.
What cause, there is no cause, how can this slaughter you justify.
I can only imagine the disbelief, sheer horror and panic,
Reasons pathetic, all terrorists are satanic.
Eerie silence followed by screams as realisation brought pain,
Choking dust, death surrounds the broken and maimed.
Where's mummy, where's my child, where's dad and my friend?
For many no answer, no words to describe such an end.
A river of innocence flowed into the Strule,
How could anyone harbour murderers so cruel.
Servicemen and passers-by compelled to do the best they could,
They witnessed scenes, horrific scenes no human being should.
We pay tribute to our hospital staff and strangers who answered our plea,
Thank you carers for your words, thank you for your sympathy.
This time we 're not spared the details, we must remember this pain,
We voted for Peace, now voice your condemnation again and again.
Twenty-eight people with feelings and thoughts and hearts didn 't say a final goodbye,
No last kiss, cuddle or "love you " before we laid them down to lie.
The loved ones of the lost ones now left behind,
I sense their devastation, numbness and emptiness.
They cried, cried, cried, and will a million tears,
They'll think of their babies for the rest of their years.
How hard it will be, I feel guilty for I thank God it wasn't me,
Me who died or me the loved one left behind.
Countless numbers of people injured, inflicted with physical and mental pains to bear,
Help us God to help them and take comfort knowing thousands of good people care.
Religious borders now broken by murder - what a tragedy!
Saturday 15th August 1998, Omagh, a dark dark day in our history.
Jennifer Muldoon,
Castlederg
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0542
Published Date: 03-Sep-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.