Poetry

Permanent Regret, Irreversible Pain , Yad, A Tyrant

By: Carmen Navarro

“We did everything right” they say,

While ashes of active destruction rain heavy upon the Bridge of Death,

As children catch the flakes in their bare, innocent hands like the falling snow of a cold early winter,

And families watch the fire saying “isn’t it beautiful?”

But it’s April now.

“That’s impossible” they say,

While what appears to be a heavenly beam reaches out from the core into the young days new sky,

As the Cherenkov glow illuminates from the scattered debris and rests heavy on the graphite,

And ignorant men are sent to the crime scene,

Now laying in their lead-lined coffins.

“Don’t cause a panic” they command,

While skin decays and faces appeared melted like old candle sticks,

As children play in the schoolyard, unaware that they swim in a sea of toxicity which will forever hinder their lives,

And too many more will be summoned.

“It’s true,” they now admit,

While tens of thousands of people search for somewhere new to call home, for where their hearts once used to reside is now 30 kilometers of excluded territory,

As almost all are told that their own bodies will soon betray them and never will they be able to live a normal life again,

And generations will suffer.

Dear grievous government,

Why did you take shortcuts?

Why did you not listen?

Why did you lie?

Chaos,

Heartache,

Eternal Rancor,

Nefarious Overcast-

Because You Lied.

Yad– Russian word for poison.

Author Bio:

Carmen Navarro is a senior at La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. She has won various writing competitions and was awarded as the first Junior Poet Laureate of LaPorte County in 2023. Carmen often writes her poetry about political or social issues, connecting the main message in the poem with a relatable imagery. She is most inspired by the world around her and hopes to continue writing in the future.