May 11 '85 is etched upon my mind,
A dream became a nightmare and turned happiness to fear,
The day I left my soul behind,
But could not shed a tear.
The sweet perfume of victory became the stench of death,
And whilst my heart beats soundly I never will forget,
From wisp of smoke to no more breath,
It haunts me ever yet.
I came to praise my heroes out on the field of play,
I came to dance and sing and shout, to hold my head up high,
I came to take the pleasures of the day,
I didn't come to die.
The newsreel of my memory plays a matinee,
A reprise of hurt and sadness, of deep remorse and ire,
That I could not help in any way,
The victims of the fire.
I saw the anguish and the pain pervade the burning stand,
I saw the reaper laughing beneath the crimson sky,
And through the flames that panic fanned,
I saw an angel cry.
Rest in peace you Bantams, rest in peace you Imps,
Two cities joined in pain and grief, your memory ever cherished,
The game you loved is different since,
The fateful day it perished.
We grieve as one these years gone by and though it can be fraught,
We'll close our eyes and bow our heads, so glad to be alive,
We're all alone with just one thought,
May 11 '85.
Author notes
On May 11th 1985 whilst a match between third division champions elect Bradford City and Lincoln city was in progress, a fire took hold beneath the main stand.
It took just 4 minutes for the fire to engulf the whole stand and 56 fans from both clubs died.
Written May 11th, 2006
What did you think
Comments
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Wow! This is a beautifully poignant poem for a horribly tragic event. Well done, a master piece of writing and a true credit to the fans and victims of both clubs.
Well done, well done.
jill
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Thank you for your comment and applause.
I wrote this poem for the twentieth anniversary last year but it will always be poignant for me until the day I die.
Thanks again. -
Dear Poet,your well written write is poignant and honourable.Poetry is a mode of creativity and communication which is inevitably imbued with the very essence of the author.This write expresses the scene,the anquish and the fact that twenty one years have passed but not in negation for the fifty six fans that tragically perished but in honour of their memory you choose to feature and I applaud that.Grief is a cold embrace,time may temper it but we do not and should not forget,love and light,Yvette
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