Ballad of Birmingham (1969)

I personally like this poem very much the moment i read it as it made me felt heartache of the situation. How can you accept the leaving of your child forever? I relate to it as there were lots of cases happened around where people lost their precious life in accidents or by other causes. The feeling is just like this poem, the painfulness that cannot be measured or understood by the outsider except the closest family members itself. It had been a hard time to know those bad news especially when it happened to be at my own hometown. I never stop questioning myself that why could such things happen? Why? Why? It is true that i had taken some time to sort out my feelings but now this poem brings all my feelings back.

"Mother dear, may I go downtown
Instead of out to play,
And march the streets of Birmingham
In a Freedom March today?"

"No, baby, no, you may not go,
For the dogs are fierce and wild,
And clubs and horses, guns and jails
Aren't good enough for a little child."

"But, mother, I won't be alone.
Other children will go with me,
And march the streets of Birmingham
To make our country free."

"No, baby, no, you may not go,
For I fear those guns will fire.
But you may go to church instead
And sing in the children's choir."

She has combed and brushed her night-dark hair,
And bathed rose petal sweet,
And drawn white gloves on her small brow hands,
And white shoes on her feet.

The mother smiled to know that her child
Was in the sacred place,
But that smile was the last smile
To come upon her face.

For when she heard the explosion,
Her eyes grew wet and wild.
She raced through the streets of Birmingham
Calling for her child.

She clawed through bits of glass and brick,
Then lifted out a shoe.
"O, here's the shoe my baby wore,
But, baby, where are you?"




ps: have to work on this poem for my coursework

Comments

Karen said…
Nice one dear...:-)
WanQi said…
^^ yape...right now my group has to work on this poem..have to create poster and write critical essay haha...tis week will be a busy week..

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