Sun beats down at the noonday hour
A hedgerow tinged with summer flower
The setting sun glows across the hills
Passing the land into starry night

Mist clings to the ground in cold of the night
Moonlight shines on the rooftops of town
Derelict buildings pockmarked by shells
Do they know the reason why?
Silence replies

Children laughing, hurling stones
Emaciated dog slinks by
The granny in her tattered shawl
Do they know the reason why?

Her face hardened by winters past
Will she live to see next spring
In my mind's eye these images swirl
As the question is asked again

Portsmouth 1996