Thunder rolls from guns were observed,
Mutilated young bodies
Arranged in red locks across the crowded
room,

Shock, dismay and carnage,
Weeping tears mixed with speechless
teens,
Surrounded by extraordinary slaughter,
Bewildered young people, damaged for
life.

Why? That is the question.
Will we ever get answers to this mystery?
Is it a mystery or an event foretold?
What did it all accomplish?

Media hype to drive Europe into
submission.
Did it work?
That is another question.
Who will give us this response?

The grim reaper of death, mingled
amongst them,
Who gathered the bleak harvest of souls.
Newsflash on our radios and televisions,
The world looks on, helpless and
disturbed.

Each country wondering, ‘Will we be
next?’
All feel heart-rending emotion for France.
We express grief with them and for them,
May their loved ones rest in peace.

~* ~ Commentary by Leila Samarrai:

Like Virgil leads Dante through hell, Venn leads the reader through a bloodstained Paris, using strong and convincing poetic images. Through a picturesquely woven artistic structure, the poet has strung together harsh images that create the feeling of the current existence in France and the world. The title, ‘The Music Stopped’, reminds us how we felt when the attacks occurred, and also refers to the massacre during a music concert. The symbol of ‘The Grim Reaper’ is used, reminding us that souls are being gathered as we look on, ‘helpless and disturbed’. The image also reminds us that we do not know who will be next, where the next terrorist attack will occur and who will be killed. The poem ends in an unsettling note of ambiguity and sadness for the victims with the last line ending, ‘May their loved ones rest in peace’.

Frosini, Fabrizio. POETRY AGAINST TERROR (Kindle Locations 2789-2796). Fabrizio Frosini.