A Message of Love and Hope

Image taken from an article on Jakarta Post @ https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2021/03/28/suspected-bomb-blast-at-indonesia-church-causes-casualties.html

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On the day of Palm Sunday, March 28, 2021, at 10.30 am (local time), two suicide bombers exploded themselves in front of the Cathedral Catholic church in the city of Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Makassar is my hometown. I was born and raised there and attended mass several times in that cathedral during my childhood. You can read an article news about it by clicking on the link I posted underneath the image above. This is not the first time a suicide bombing targeted a church. Back in May 2018, another very similar tragedy happened to three churches in the city of Surabaya, the city where I was residing at that time until now. It was a shocking moment, but we bravely continued our daily activities. We could not succumb to fear, we refused!

I present you two senryu poems below as part of my expression.

(I)

deluded comfort

found in extreme hate doctrine,

erupting violence

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(II)

safety and comfort

crushed by erupted violence

left a hole in heart

I refuse to succumb to fear, hate, or use my words to promote them. Yes, of course I am angry, sad, desolated, but I still have hope and love in my heart. So, I fight fear with hope and love. Here’s another senryu with this message. May peace be with us all.

(III)

like the rising sun

my heart too rises with hope

confront hate with love

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Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge no. 351 – Comfort and Erupt

and

Tanka Tuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge no. 219 – any subject of poetry using haiku or senryu.