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As I sat at my computer following the internet news on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, viewing the many pictures taken on location at this uniquely painful tragedy, I thought of a People, my people, a connection that flows deep down within my soul. I thought of all of you at home in St. Vincent and the Grenadiens and the Diaspora. I thought of my similar journey as a child travelling by bus to the SVG Intermediate High School each morning, those memories; as tears fell on my keyboard and moisture down my nostril; that by destiny I am still hear and that God’s purpose for each of us should not be taken for granted. The common question of “why me” are those words of the cries of those parents and families, especially at these times. I ask God to soothe our pain, a national pain, in a world so complex but of hearts where— when compassion meets in times like these it greets. Such as the expressions of Opposition Arnhim Eustace, and PM Ralph Gonsalves in the meeting of minds as they “chat at the side of the road”, both no doubt feeling the burden and cries of those families of North Windward. As you allow me to share this poem with you at this time of tragedy.
In Times Like These
It is so very sad to hear,
And I know it is your pain to bear.
But be assured that I am near,
With you and yours, I shed some tears.
This’d hard for you, as it’s a mother’s dread,
To lose a child so near and dear.
As from the womb we feel a tear,
A broken heart, a mother’s fear.
What can one say in times like these?
No word seems enough to ease the freeze.
But to you and yours, I send my love,
Just as it came down from above.
I pray that God will soothe your pain,
Like raindrops that fall upon the pane.
As you look beyond the distant fields,
For the miseries of life’s unspoken dreams.
And as the whistling sound of the morning planes,
Fades like a dream yet once have been.
Such are the pains of life’s despair,
As we connect through distant air.
So look beyond what the eyes can see,
And remember that life is just really a dream—
A vacation as was appointed to be,
As eternity is our destiny.
So there they are, up in the skies,
Shouting the song “In the sweet Bye-and-Bye”
In God’s right hand, they take their stances,
Right next to them are our family’s clan!
By Elma Gabriel-Mayers
The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].