A person sighs, shuffles their feet;
No thought of the danger they will soon meet;
A boy stands in the crowded street, but all alone;
If only he had known.
As the shaking starts he hears the cries;
As every second passes another one dies;
Buildings soon crumble all around;
He covers his ears trying to somehow block out the sound.
Knees buckling he lunges for a door;
The only thing the boy can do to not hit the floor;
He watches them running trying in vain to get away;
But the falling debris is insistent they should stay.
As the building collapses he runs on to the street;
Rubble in piles under his feet;
A gruesome scene revealed before his eyes;
Happily ever afters are nothing but lies.
The days, the nights all pass in a blur;
For what the boy has witnessed is too much to endure;
They say it's depression, the boy is seriously ill;
The boy just wishes the earth would stay still.
Through the trauma he has learned to cope;
The key to getting through is to never give up hope;
Out of bad they must find good;
People shall rejoice;
Once again find their voice.
Be strong and move on;
The sadness will soon have passed;
They'll just live every moment as if it's their last.
• By Brooke Roberts; Year 9, East Otago High School