The Ferocious Motherland

This poem is for the people who lost their lives in the Anak Krakatoa volcanic eruption. This poem is for every single Indonesian who lives every second of his or her life knowing there's an active volcano a few miles away, spewing smoke and lava. This poem, people, is for those brave brethren of Indonesia who don't run away from death due to the love for their motherland.

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The ferocious motherland.

Under the golden flakes of twilight sky,

Frolicked the kids whose dreams soared high.

Men danced and guzzled many bottles of alcohol;

Oh, did they frighten the younglings with their caterwaul!

Out of the blue, appeared Thanatos -

Mighty, all ready to accompany the kind souls to the world which is morose!

He didn't spare any, not even the ones inside a mother's womb.

When did life get so fiendish that even those who haven't born yet are taken into the tomb?

Living a lifetime of ephialtes so gruesome,

Still being buoyant and not chained by antagonism.

How do you do this, fellow men?

Aren't you afraid it is all going to happen again?

Pray, shall we, for the burnt and the drowned.

Ah! The annihilated island, just look around-

Can you hear the laughs and see the smiles?

The smiles of the kids who, moments ago, wanted to go miles and miles?

The bells no longer jingled in Carita

For, the Child of Krakatoa was as fierce as a cheetah.

But why didn't it give a second chance

For the Indonesian kids to survive in their motherland and romance?

- Gopika.