A child lays two framed images,
naive sketches of two 'super-heroes'
she identifies them,
no trouble with first name, two easy vowels
but stumbles over next;
a father grieves, grooved lines in cheeks
surely deeper than usual,
he scrutinises messages of condolence,
raises hand to hide mouth;
straight-backed mother thanks crowd,
her demeanour dignified,
eyes screened by Hepburn shades;
the Lindt family are there as well,
they lay praise
and a wreath of gold-leafed teddies
while a sob-choked woman sputters:
'three children
and now, no mother!'
Respectfully, for a
change,
infiltrate the minions of news,
questioning surprisingly subdued;
slowly their recoding eyes pan
the heaped, extensive
'outpouring of grief'.
I sit and wonder -
will this extraordinary display,
this genuinely compassionate empathy
and identification
encourage self-examination
or will it merely excite glee - see, see
how they react?
Bloody beauty!
Just wait till we hit them next time,
won't that be
properly
newsworthy? Won't that be
a killer.
