As I walked along the street at daybreak,
the solemn night sky was dissolving into
a powder blue sky.
The birds were singing in full accord
as if to welcome what promised to be
a perfect spring day.
In contrast to yesterday.

Today people were already on the move
venturing outside their safe haven,
to access the damage of the past thirty-six hours.
Today everything oozed of serenity,
everything looked clean and bright, as if to block out
the pain of yesterday.

That is, until you lower your eyes.
For many of yesterdays victims 
were still laying in the street.
In this street I could see six, maybe seven.
One in particular had caught my interest.
It was laying against a wall,
broken,
limbs contorted,
lifeless.
I thought of the loss of protection the family would feel,
and was glad I had not been out in the streets
yesterday.

I averted my eyes, only to see yet another,
laying a little way down the street.
This one had fallen into the gutter.
There was still some water left from the recent rain.
Although today's spring sunshine 
was already drying the paths,
the gutters still ran with water
from yesterday.


I watched with morbid interest
as the water swirled around the wasted form.
Causing little rivulets to form on the cold, black skin.
I could not see where the fatal blow
had struck this broken, fleshless carcass.
So I pushed it over, just to check.
Sure enough there was the evidence.
A broken spine, torn skin, brutally disformed,
from yesterdays holocaust.

Quickly I hurried on.
Thinking only of my mothers loss.
Determined to do what I could, to help her.
I tried to picture how it must have been,
one minute they had been arm in arm,
the next minute - torn away, 
viciously beaten and the dropped,
as she watched helplessly on.
She had bravely struggled, not wanting to release her grip,
for a few terrifying seconds.
But it was in vain.
I knew I could not wipe away my mothers awful experience,
but I could soften the blow.
Of yesterday.

I reached the town just as the shops opened.
I knew where I must go,
I had passed that way so many times before,
but today would be different, I would have to go in.
As I approached, I saw many other people 
with the same mission in hand.
When my turn came, I faced the already harassed assistant.
"I would like a new umbrella  please, a blue one,
to replace the one my mother lost in the storm,
yesterday".