Humanity Under Attack by Terrorists - Haiku Style Poetry
A creative writer at heart, Janis was first published at age 11. Most of her poems express core issues of love, loss, trauma, and healing.
A Haiku-Style Quote
The tragedy of humanity is expressed poignantly through poetry.
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Humanity is Under Daily Assault - Writing Poetry Helps
Terror attacks are happening all over the world with what seems to be more frequency. Maybe we are just more aware. I often deal with the wretchedness of victimization caused by terror attacks through writing poetry.
As I began to craft the right words about these acts of senseless violence some years ago, other atrocities kept occurring. I offered three haiku-inspired poetic forms in remembrance of the lives lost, within a span of days, in Russia, Syria, Sweden and Egypt.
Our compassion grows as the pain which connects us as human beings deepens. The plight of our global brothers and sisters, who were hit without warning, now hits home as we anticipate it happening anywhere and at any time. As humans, when it happens to one, it happens to all. There are too many to name in our own country, which include El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio in recent years. The recent mass shooting in Buffalo, New York where 10 African Americans were murdered at a grocery store by a White supremacist, has been categorized as domestic terrorism and hate crime. Within a week, we were shocked by the latest mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were slaughtered by gunfire. These are painful illustrations that we in America are no longer immune to violent acts of terrorism in places that were once deemed safe.
It is hard to find the words to express the impact of these national and global tragedies. I choose poetry as a form of expression to encapsulate tragedy in a way that provides a platform of empathy for and validation of our human reactions and experiences. I have added two more haiku in honor of the recent victims.
[Due to the dark subject matter, the use of haiku in this article is untraditional in keeping with its true form. Traditional haiku typically pays homage to imagery involving lightness, the four seasons and nature.]
Haiku Style Poetry
#1
Overwhelmed by blasts
Derailed from everyday route
Smoke filled train to hell
#2
Unable to breathe
Fumes released with ill intent
Seep into the world
#3
Praise voices silenced
Reeds of palm blown to ashes
In the name of Christ
[JLE 2017]
#4
Grocery carts pushed
Blast-scattered produce
Saturday errands end
#5
Fourth grade joy stolen
Classroom-contained horror
Angels graduate to heaven
[JLE 2022]
A Peaceful World Saved by the Grace of God's Love
We can only hope that God's grace will soon come to save us from the destruction our world is now experiencing on a daily basis.
Image by finemayer via pixabay CC0 Public Domain
Children See an Unsafe World - Help Them Heal with Poetry
The biggest price of senseless terror attacks is the loss of innocent children. Creative writing, using short stories and poetry, can help children begin to express and heal from loss and trauma.
Image by Geralt via pixabay CC0 Public Domain
© 2017 Janis Leslie Evans
