Holding Hand

A shrug of Mother Earth

Crumbled their land

Sweet homes turned to instant graves 

Dumbstruck by the aftermath 

He could only hope  

A miracle would bring crucial help

His daughter buried

Under rubble

Could not wait

He wished he could 

Shoulder the wall 

Before it collapsed over her

Sitting on the mutilated land

Shocking sadness numbed his senses

Tearless speechless 

All he could do 

Was holding her hand

When she took her final breath

By Shih-Fang Wang

From: United States