by | February 13, 2023 · 5:15 am
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A Poem for Turkey and Syria

Here is the poem a lot of poets wanted to write this week—me included.

“When 5,000 People Die in an Instant” by Michael Mark

30 Comments

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30 responses to “A Poem for Turkey and Syria”

  1. merrildsmith
    February 13, 2023 at 5:18 am

    Thank you for sharing this, Luanne.

    Reply
  2. Kate Crimmins
    February 13, 2023 at 6:21 am

    Beautifully written.

    Reply
  3. Amy
    February 13, 2023 at 6:55 am

    The truth of that made every hair on my body stand on end. I know that the small amount of money I sent is like a grain of sand when we need beaches full to make a dent in the pain.

    Reply
  5. wordsfromanneli
    February 13, 2023 at 11:48 am

    This expresses the thoughts of so many of us.

    Reply
  6. John W. Howell
    February 13, 2023 at 1:21 pm

    The situation is sad, Luanne. This poem expresses the enormity of the tragedy. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  7. Liz Gauffreau
    February 13, 2023 at 4:30 pm

    I just listened to the poet read his poem. Both equally powerful. Once death counts of any disaster start ticking up and up and up, we’re unable to think of all those dead as individuals, and it horrifies us.

    Reply
  8. deborahbrasket
    February 13, 2023 at 6:59 pm

    The thing is, it didn’t have to be this bad if corruption wasn’t so rampant in Turkey, and Syria a completely failed government. If they had constructed the buildings up to earthquake standards. If the response hadn’t been so slow. If the tax the people have been paying all these years for earthquake insurance had been spent to actually create the means to respond quickly to another earthquake in an area known for its earthquakes. If they’d opened up more than one avenue into Syria for relief workers. If they’d had more dogs trained and ready for this kind of emergency. If, if, if,

    The earthquake was an act of God, as they like to say, but the horrendous extent of the casualties and devastation was man made. Those numbers didn’t have to tick up so high. It’s heart-breaking, and infuriating, and criminal.

    Reply
    • Luanne
      February 14, 2023 at 11:26 am

      I agree with you 100% but would add one thing. I saw photos of how wide the earth opened on BBC news, and in those areas nothing could have prevented tragedy except allowing nothing along the fault lines.

      Reply
  9. derrickjknight
    February 14, 2023 at 4:53 am

    All too much to take in

    Reply
  10. Linda Raha
    February 16, 2023 at 12:13 pm

    Thank you for sharing this poem! It is beautifully written…It is hard to put something so tragic into words, and yet, this poem says so much.

    Reply
    • Luanne
      February 16, 2023 at 12:35 pm

      You’re welcome. I know. That count he put in the poem is so effective because that’s how it has been for those of us so removed from the tragedy.

      Reply
  11. Lavinia Ross
    February 16, 2023 at 12:55 pm

    It is a beautiful, heartfelt poem by Michael Mark. Words for a tragedy of this scale are hard to come by.

    Reply
  12. jeannieunbottled
    February 16, 2023 at 1:10 pm

    It hurts too much to cry.

    Reply

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