ANOTHER CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER

[Maureen K Clifford]

Another Christmas to Remember

Their tiny craft by waves was tossed. By the sea it was spurned.
So near to help and yet so far – no lessons have been learned
and watchers on the hillside could but watch in dismay
as the sea plucked out its victims. Watchers fell on knees to pray.

And the scene was reminiscent of those old watchers of yore
who had lured a hapless vessel into rocks close by their shore.
Men who waited for the plunder and who waited in the cold
for the bounty of the shipwreck, and the dead wore rings of gold.

But this was played out close to home and in this century.
These lives were lost, tossed overboard into a harsh cold sea
whose fury was unrelenting and which had caught them off guard
when the motor failed. Now thunderous seas descended on them hard.

They were not here by invitation, they had come here overnight
seeking refuge in a country where we’re blessed with peace, and might
be generous enough of spirit to offer them a home
safe from all the misery and pain. Let them not stand alone.

But now it seems this will be one more Christmas to remember.
Another day forever marked in annals of December.
A Christmas Island tragedy. Death at Flying Fish cove
when an unseaworthy vessel had all her wooden planks stove.

One child’s become an orphan as it seems the sea has claimed
his Dad and Mum. Who is this child? Have any dead been named?
No doubt their relatives and friends will now have heard the worst.
The high price they paid for freedom on a voyage that was cursed.

Already thirty lives are lost, and this not yet the final toll
and who will say the words with which to bless their souls?
Regardless of the rights and wrongs of this to our great nation,
let’s not lose sight of why they came. They came seeking salvation.

Maureen Clifford © 12/10

[Leonie]

Very topical Maureen. It makes one think about how many of these boats might just disappear off the face of the earth without anyone ever knowing. It's a big ocean out there.

[Maureen K Clifford]

That is so true Leonie but what worries me even more is how they got so close without being picked up by radar/satellite/or coastal observation planes.

My son who is a yachtie tells me wooden vessels are hard to pick up on radar but aren't we supposed to have satellites watching our shore lines - I mean it wasn't exactly a five minute trip that they made - so how come we missed them? Welcome to the smart country.

Cheers

Maureen

[Heather]

It was (is) such a tragedy Maureen. You have said it well.

Heather