The following poem was written in May 1996, in the days after the Port Arthur shootings that shocked the country. The writer, Don Defenderfer, has offered it for publication to mark the 30th anniversary of that devastating event.
Thirty-five times
A brass bell chimes
Thirty-five times
With no reason or rhyme
Thirty-five drumbeats
And a country’s heart leaps
Thirty-five shots
Heard down every street
She lost a husband
He lost a wife
They lost a child
We all lost a life
Thirty-five spears to our hearts
Thirty-five darts
Thirty-five new faces above
Thirty-five reasons to keep believing in love
A nation sighs
We all ask why?
Thirty-five souls….
The autumn sun is cold
Thirty-five stones
Planted with new names
When darkness descends
Love remains
Thirty-five times
A brass bell chimes
Thirty-five times
With no reason or rhyme
