A crazy little blitz called love

The return of the blitz.
One week on –
The smiling faces of children not gone.
The smell of site life,
Still live and fresh,
As you close your eyes, sit and reflect.

Sitting here now with a strong cup of tea,
Knowing there is something much bigger than me,
bigger than you,
the collective us – which achieved something that saw bricks rise from the dust.
Whatever your part as a blitz volunteer,
the resonance and emotions are all very clear –
as you try to attempt to share, what was done,
in between the day job and supermarket run.

The noise of our life, of cars, tubes, TV
and knowing we have left a different reality.
Where families sit,
under shack roofs,
dimly lit walkways and dangerous routes
that take them to work,
to go buy their tea,
that return them from school – the place they feel free.

We felt the freedom that education can bring,
we saw the hope,
we heard them sing – and dance and laugh and exude such unity,
When knowing they return,
each day to poverty.

It hasn’t gone away.
Their Christmas won’t bare gifts,
yet the life and the love of the children lift
you up when you’re feeling those post blitz blues,
because you know, there’s more we can do.
And their waiting,
their working
for a better chance to be,
in a place that is not what we all see;
Of congested roads, folk rushing through days,
grabbing a Starbucks
avoiding your gaze,
buying a bargain mod con on Black Friday,
A quick pint in the pub,
or some weekly Pilates.

You come back and try to ‘fit it all in’
When actually, you don’t know where to begin,
to tell people about this amazing place,
where hope it etched onto every face
and senses are opened
and people connect
despite the deep danger,
despite the neglect.

Township life may be hard and unfair,
and through time we strive to not see it there,
yet inside exists the jewel of humanity,
that one word, which conquers all life profanity’s
that one thing we all strive to receive
regardless of religion,
or race,
we believe
that if we can give people a road to equality,
it can change the cycles of conflict & economy,
it can get people talking and connecting again,
learning and striving and evolving Man.
And as anyone who has returned from this Blitz will know,
there’s only one word to describe that glow,
that urges you to dust off the helmets and gloves,
spread the word for next year;
It’s a Blitz called ‘Love’.