As I tried to pry it open,
The gates of the park gave a groan,
And as I look around in horror,
On every side, cold winds did moan.

I looked at the layer of grey dust,
And shuddered in my mind.
There were empty swings, benches and,
An abandoned shoe I did find.

In the distance I could see,
The grey towers of a power plant nuclear,
Now standing void which once,
Had been the source of supply of power.

As I look around at the silent grey,
Buildings around me seemed to say.

They had long since been abandoned,
There is no touch of life.
This was just a human fault,
Which led millions to a life of strife.

I could imagine the panic,
The fear when the plant melted,
Cries and shouts, screams of despair,
Fire extinguishing and evacuations started.

This town which was once,
Full of life and happiness.
Now lies barren just due to
One mistake at someone's moment of stress.

Pripyat, the ghost town,
Had been destroyed by the nuclear disaster.
Chernobyl poured it's deadly radiations into this,
The survivors suffered radiation burn and blister.

This town since then is left grey,
Not even a bird or a dog is seen.
If only a little careful the workers,
That night would have been...

Shreya Goswamy