14-15 NOVEMBER COVENTRY

STILL FALLS THE RAIN ON THE CITY OF MY BIRTH  

80 YEARS AFTER IT WAS ‘COVENTRATED’   

IN THE BIGGEST BOMBING RAID ON BRITAIN   

TEENAGE GIRLS LIKE MY MOTHER

QUICKLY LEARNED TO DAMPEN INCENDIARY BOMBS WITH SANDBAGS   

THEIR YOUTHFUL COURAGE

SOON MATCHED BY GERMAN COUNTERPARTS   

AFTERWARDS THERE WAS MORE THAN TALK

OF ‘PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES’   

FOR A WEE WHILE THE WHOLE OF COVENTRY

RECALLED THE POSSIBILITY OF RECONSTRUCTING IT   

MEMORY FADED AS MONEY RAN OUT MID-SEVENTIES

OR WAS IT ME THAT RAN OUT ON THE CITY?      

AFTER WE’VE BLITZED CORONAVIRUS WITH VACCINE   

WILL COV CITY FIND FITTING FORMS OF REMEMBRANCE 

FOR THOSE WHO’VE DIED?

NOW NO FEWER THAN NOVEMBER 1940     

NOT FORGOTTEN LIKE THE FLU VICTIMS OF 1920     

NOR SENTIMENTALISED FOR A QUICK HIT

WISHING WE CAN RE-LEARN 
THE BALANCING ACT BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH    
YOURS TRULY    
THE NEWS POET