Life then, Life now

Oh! How much I miss the tranquility,
The solace, my home emanates.
There were times, when families come together,
Fond moments shared and feast, above all
Thanksgiving service, perhaps, the best;
Robbed off all from us,
And gone are the days,
Yet the memories linger, of Life then.
Oh, the cozy fireplace I yearn for!
The modest kitchen of ours could offer,
Humor and laughter exchanged and echoed,
Amongst brothers and sisters,
A fleeting moment that may never revisit.
The bonding endures, but never with its former essence may.
Life then was beautiful,
Yet clinging on to it, not an option,
Moving forward, a must and
The present to embrace.
Life now, the post conflict;
Gunfire, fatalities and injuries, the new norm.
Trauma, anxiety, fear and confusion;
Terms, common to Life now.
Nonetheless, ‘Hope’, the healing term,
That we don’t lose,
For we are the children of the living God.