Not So Far From Here

    The December 2004 earthquake released about enough energy to power the United States for six months

Not so far from here a vast destruction rules

          Not so far from here women weep inconsolably

Not too far away parents mourn for their lost children

          Not too far away a little girl sobs for her mother

Far too close the towns are shattered

          Far too close there is mud and dirty water everywhere

Almost here is the overwhelming smell of decaying flesh

          Almost here the artifacts of daily life are strewn about in confusion

Much too near half-naked people wear everything they own

          Much too near the sounds of wailing fill the air

Within our own villages there is no clean water

          Within our own villages we have nothing at all to eat

Not so far from here the cars and buses are scattered and jumbled

          Not so far from here life’s possessions lie broken everywhere

Not too far away the sea has left corpses a mile from its shore

          Not too far away unrecognizable bodies wash up upon the beach

Far too close the injured linger without treatment or even a bit of shade

          Far too close the sun beats upon discolored flesh and broken glass

Almost here a foot protrudes from the shade of a collapsed structure

          Almost here the fishing boats perch upon the ruined houses

Much too near the people are still muddy long days after the great flood

          Much too near the death toll still rises every hour

Within our own villages bulldozers perform burial ceremonies

          Within our own villages relief workers toil without sleeping

Not so far from here salty tears stream down upon their muddy cheeks

          Not so far from here malarial mosquitoes emerge from the flood

Not too far away a glance reveals artifacts from one more destroyed family life

          Not too far away shouts of the living mix with the silence of the dead

Far too close rotting bodies poison drinking water

          Far too close dysentery and cholera shadow dazed survivors

Almost here entire cities must rebuild themselves from beneath total rubble

          Almost here many millions simply have no homes at all

Much too near a man with nothing places one flower upon a single grave

          Much too near the memory of the black water stirs up fear again

Within our villages the living simply have no lives left to resume

          Within our villages the shock numbs people into a mute disbelief

Not so far from here those who fled find nothing to return to

          Not so far from here are too many in need to be helped in time

Not too far away in the heat the flies begin to swarm

          Not too far away roads are bulldozed clear of once-valuable debris

Far too close the hometown landscape has been warped into powerful desolation

          Far too close children have no schools and parents have no jobs

Almost here the aged sit on the streets under plastic tarps

          Almost here wounds fester untreated for everyone to see

Much too near the dead arrive upon the incoming tide along with more plastic debris

          Much too near the bloated bodies decay into anonymity

Within our villages there is no running water or electricity

          Within our villages the great tide filled the land with sewage

Not so far from here there has been no food for many days

          Not so far from here the weaker begin to perish once again

Not too far away the colors of destroyed lives are all of a muddy brown

          Not too far away desperate hands reach out in supplication

Far too close unpaid volunteers work tirelessly for days on end

          Far too close many good spirits have been overwhelmed

Almost here pockets of faith and trust survive

          Almost here video captures this great collage of human suffering

Much too near the once fertile soil is now laced with toxic salts

          Much too near the faithful wonder at the will and mercy of their god

Within our villages orphans cling to each other for support

          Within our villages heroes honor the dead with their service to the living