Far, high up in the mountainside, <br />a lone temple bell still rings, <br />Resounding where the Gods reside, <br />echoing on angel's wings. <br /> <br />But there is no temple standing, <br />No more fervent hymns and chant; <br />Just a fatal misunderstanding: <br />A prayer that God won't grant. <br /> <br />To calm the waters, turn the tides, <br />that swept their world away; <br />To halt the giant landslides, <br />discarding life in disarray. <br /> <br />The stench of dying lingers long, <br />with the scent of garlands torn; <br />Broken incense sticks prolong, <br />a fragrance dead, forlorn. <br /> <br />And yet the temple bell peals on, <br />like a plaintive, wailing cry; <br />For all the lost souls, all foregone, <br />Why did they have to die? <br /> <br />A gentle whisper starts to form, <br />and grows more desolate; <br />What caused this cruel rainstorm? <br />Was it just cruel fate? <br /> <br />Who erased the forests with no heed? <br />Who stopped the river's flow? <br />Who built more dams for selfish need? <br />Who chose damnation as the way to go?<br /><br />Roann Mendriq<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/why-did-they-have-to-die/
