Poem: Cocoa Piece

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Repeated lamentations broke the morning’s silence. A rural community of ordinary folks no more. Evil has redefined the landscape. Perhaps the signs were there, perhaps not. A nation distressed. The pain is unbearable. The sanctity of life has been shredded for triviality; even for the baby on the breast. Barbaric! The pain is too much. To bear time and time again is asking too much. Too much for a nation which is already broken. From the bowels of her innermost being a mother travails for her beloved daughter. A nation is breathless as grief and sorrow have become our constant companions. Untold brokenness continues to define and confront us. This path of destruction has become too familiar. Unresolved conflicts. This untamed monster must be tamed. If not in the lyrics of popular culture, where? A collective introspection is urgently needed. To interrogate such lyrics. When did we arrive at this place of death and sorrow? We are all in this together. Incalculable grief, as families are ripped apart. Communities are put asunder. Children no longer safe as lives are taken without a moment’s thought. But this one is difficult to fathom. A spirit of numbness has overtaken us. Where is God? While we search for answers in unlikely places; still clueless. This seems like a dream, yet it is not. Yet it is the stark reality for so many. The hemorrhaging of a nation continues unchecked. Along blood soaked sheets and pavements. Five lives obliterated. Unfulfilled potential. For all the wrong reasons the global spotlight is once again focused on us. We have become immune. However, we were gutted this time. Our collective sense of empathy is in overdrive. A perpetual state of shock and horror, mourning the innocent victims of this savage attack. We pray for Jamaica while embracing the community of Cocoa Piece in Clarendon. The grieving process continues for those left behind. Justice must be served. Chains are being broken. © #CocoaPiece #Clarendon #Jamaica

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