John Herlihy Poet Elegiac Lyric

Aleppo In Ruins

Words on fire blaze, then rescind, 
Only to disappear in a scorching wind. 
Words that devour light as they give light, 
Dragons that slay in order to give fright. 
A story fully complete, now thrumming, 
The echoes reverberate, now drumming. 
A mother holds her child in warm embrace, 
Now dead in her arms, misery on her face. 
Unrelenting memory fills a heart now cold, 
A child now dead that wanted to grow old. 

Utter desolation remains scorched behind, 
Lunar skeletons now people the city’s mind. 
A world on fire is now what it truly seems, 
The world on fire is now what it truly means. 
The heart of Aleppo has lain down to die, 
The heart of the world needs to mourn its lie. 
To come to its rescue for the sake of humanity, 
To leave it abandoned for the sake of inhumanity, 
The city will live on with other noble cities, 
Lost in the forgotten realm of bleak anonymity.

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Darren White January 19, 2017 at 8:10 AM I'm an Egyptian young person living in Europe, but seeing with bleeding heart what is happening all around us, and that utter feeling of powerlessness. All that is captured in two breathtakingly good poetic stanzas. I mourn. Darren White January 19, 2017 at 10:12 AM Ahlan :) My family is originally from Alexandria. I will keep an eye on your poem list and wait for the Aleppo poem. John Herlihy January 19, 2017 at 9:46 AM Thank you Darren White for your comment. I taught English in Alexandria at the university many years ago (1980-1982). I have another poem on Aleppo that I will post in the coming days. JH

David William Breidenthal January 16, 2017 at 2:55 AM The first stanza in this poem is so deep and genuinely written. The last one is brilliant as well - very descriptive, mysterious and epic throughout. Will read another one from you tonight. :) -JWE John Herlihy January 16, 2017 at 3:09 AM Thanks JW. I live in the Middle East so what's happening there affects me deeply. I also love children and simply cannot stand the sight of their suffering. I have a few other poems on Aleppo that I hope to post in future, but for now, there's too much sorrow. JH

Anne-Lise Andresen January 14, 2017 at 8:44 AM - I can see that you're proficient at rhyming John - I can also read that this is not your "first" poems - Is glad you chose to post them here ... so many get to enjoy your writing - My mother language is Norwegian. .. I am not proficient in English rhyming ... but I try sometimes - Writing my poems in a simple way :) - Nice to meet you ... hugs from Norway // Anne-Lise :) John Herlihy January 14, 2017 at 8:52 AM You're right, first poems here on this site but not my first poems. I have written over 750 poems since the Muse came to visit me about a year and a half ago. Before that, I was strictly a writer of prose. Thanks again for the encouragement on this site. John