Poem: Shock and Awe - Ronald W. Hull

Shock and Awe

Night sky filled with fire and smoke,
We, down under, gasp and choke.

It came silently in the long night,
Death without wings took flight.

Cruising leisurely through the dark,
Casually, like a stroll in the park.

Coldly, cruelly, sought out its mark,
Swooped down like a bat in the dark.

Penetrated deep down, through concrete and stone.
Finding us where we live; now so alone.

Dull thud of death, so close at hand.
Like an earthquake’s shudder, but well planned.

Rats in a hole with the walls caving in,
Scurrying to nowhere amid the din.

Of a world coming apart, crushed to the heart.
Of a once strong, once proud, upstart.

The display above is awesome to view,
To those lost below, it's justice due.

Grave of our own making shocking awe,
Fire and brimstone, last light we saw.