'fare ye well' kind friends
There’s a Green Heart icon, blazing
on a side of a Tower-block building
a vibrant Flag of Defiance, dipped
in Nature’s resilient colours, as a symbol
of ‘Hope, Unity, Love
and Remembrance’...
Last year’s, annual Silent walk
marked the 3rd year Anniversary
of London’s: Grenfell, shame!
Due to UK’s Covid nightmare
we had to attend - online
a surreal Virtual event
we assumed, would be - as bad
as things - could Retrograde;
on May 7th 2021, some 31 days, away
from this year’s Grenfell memorial date
another Tower-block
set London’s sky’s ablaze, once again
forcing 25 Fire Trucks
and 125, brave Firefighters
to endanger their lives and relieve
those traumatic Grenfell scenes, again...
All caused, by inhumane: Construction practices
with private companies Government Enabled
and subsidised, Encouraged into cutting
petty fiscal corners by Knowingly, utilising Faulty
building Cladding materials
that’s right, multimillion contract’s
short-changed, in-to
human Death-traps, by bottom-line
mandating, Mindsets
by number crunching, over Cladding...?!
72 Children, Parents and in some ghastly cases
Three or four generations, of a family: Murdered
in one single - abhorrent night
by that Multiplicative - festering Greed
of Capitalism’s
morally bankrupt – Ideal
and indefensibly - defunct
Governmental disdain
for those, most needy: in our Society.
Six days earlier, to 2021’s
ill-fated Friday’s
Poplar fire disaster, Parliament: Rejected
an amendment, to 2017’s Grenfell disaster - Pacifying
Fire Safety Bill, that has now shackled
hundreds of those same Grenfell’s survivors
and Thousands of London’s citizens
to foot the Bill
for Remedying fireproofing works
with individual costs ranging into Thousands of pounds!
In 4 years
since Grenfell’s - shame
with residents, burdened - to Pay
for our Government proposed
Fire safety Bill changes;
Still:
barely, Fifty %
of London’s Tower-blocks
have had their Death-trap cladding
Rectified...
Meanwhile, a month earlier
in March 2021 while the UK media
was Conveniently: distractedly, ENRAGED!
At a talk show interview - performance
consisting of inflammatory, one-sided
scripted statements, by part-time actress
and Fool-time: millionaire - Celeb;
our UK government, Brazenly announced
it was ending 30 year’s
of Nuclear warhead - Gradual disarmament
and instead, confirmed it was utilising
Vital: Taxpayers funds, during a Global pandemic
to order More: trident Warheads
and Add to its already substantial, Nuclear stockpile...
Tell me, how do we teach our children
to hope: for better?
When we’re all walking around
with that Gangrene despair
of disillusionment and festering: distrust
feeling, that bleak hollowness
seeping-in
with every breath of politicised toxicity
we inhale
and exhale: daily, while lamenting endlessly
forced, to rasp-out our choking
defiance
while traversing that ever inclining, climb
to fight-on
in remembrance and quested Justice: for Grenfell’s
EverGreen legacy: for Change
to Stop
such Systemic abuses, targeting
the Most
needy, in our Society…
© L. B. Mek
8th of May 2021
-
Author:
L. B. Mek (
Offline) - Published: May 10th, 2021 03:42
- Comment from author about the poem: https://www.grenfelltowermemorial.co.uk/ https://www.grenfellunited.org.uk/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57022678
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 38
Offline)
Comments7
Are we associating the opposition of the rights of tower block residents to be compensated by at fault manufacturers with the right of UK residents to have the defense of 'mutual assured destruction' waved in the face of any foreign aggressor?
Why so, when both are a necessity?
lol, Yeah
in a Landmass that's a blip, on any significant Map
our Threat is what? mutual Assured destruction?
'What your 50 can do in seconds
my 200, Warheads will: Try - to, in Days'
yeah I'm sure the rest of the world is Quaking...
Just so sad, that's what you came away with
from this Time consuming and lengthy read,
what a waste of your precious Time, and for that
I can only, pityingly: apologise...
still, thanks all the same
Thank you for your pitying apology, graciously accepted by this inhabitant of a 'blip on any significant map' but nonetheless such a significant blip that you chose to write a 'time consuming and lengthy' piece about our internal concerns. PMSL
my word you amaze me sir how well you know your stuff ...
I was horrified but sadly, not surprised by the reference to what was more than just a near miss on 7th May this year ... thankfully no one is believed to have suffered life changing injuries in the latest inferno ..
although it is impossible to guess the agonies those who lost the roof over their heads and all their possessions .. is it even possible to adequately compensate them .......
... Neville
yeah, thankfully indeed!
I think only two people had to be hospitalised, which
in comparison to Grenfell is nothing short of a minor miracle
I'm guessing the Timing and preparedness
of our brave Firefighters had a lot to do
with the drastically reduced impact the actual fire had,
as for the aftereffect travesty of living conditions
and dealing with such a traumatic experience, who knows...
Really, appreciate the caring tone and consideration
in your comment my friend, thank you!
Hard hitting article, L.B.
yeah, sorry
it is kinda lengthy and not very poetic
much more opinion-piece article in style and tone, lol
but sometimes I feel we gota speak about things
in a more frank manner and that leaves little room
for creative artistry to flourish, sadly..
really glad you still managed to get something
out of the read, Jerry
thanks for the supportive comment
I totally understand, L.B. I write those from time to time for local Papers. You may have to shape it for the editor's word count, but I am sure you can get that published. Just from the responses here. It's a really good piece.
Someone told, Covid is the death-bell of Capitalism. Unfortunately, it is not!
HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ten billionaires - Alone!
Have amassed some 400 Billion in 'Earnings'
since the Pandemic started...
that's that same numeric figure of 10 People, most lifts
feel Cramped - trying to accommodate;
in a global population of some 8 billion - people,
We rarely understand just how Morosely: Real
that 1% figure truly, is my friend...
HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(thank you for your insightful comment, my fellow Humanist)
Strong poem. Thank you.
Impactful comment. thank: You!
I thoroughly agree with all your words Mek, it is absolutely despicable in the way the powers that are have treated this disaster and now it seems that they just do not care about the people who suffered and are suffering. Money certainly talks.
"Tell me, how do we teach our children to hope: for better?" - such a very true line in your words.
Andy
yeah, it can get depressingly surreal if we let it fester
best to write or speak about our frustrations
be they mutually shared opinions or otherwise...
Try as 'they' may, to convince us otherwise
we Know, that ultimately
there is more: intentional Goodness
than Obliviously-ignorant, maliciousness
in this Beautiful planet
we get to Visit, for a little while...
really appreciate your impassioned and supportive comment
thank you, my friend
Their is nothing so cold as a politicians heart. Their empty promises pacify the gullible whilst they continue to enjoy support from the very people who perpetrate these tragedies by placing profit before need.
Thanks for sharing this.
If I could Favourite and bookmark comments, this: would be the first!
Thank you for your succinct, and insightful summation of the main point
that inspired my write, apart from the tragic human costs;
(at least with your comment
people now have access to the most critical point
my feeble words failed: to bring into focus and/or convey)
Your poem was spot on!!!
Very powerful message and very well structured.
I love reading and writing poems that sends a message. I look forward to reading more of your work.
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