There’s a perfect shore on Lampedusa,
Rabbit beach was voted as
the best beach of the world.
I wonder if you can feel the smell
of the 300 bodies.
lost so very close in hope
of their survival.
I heard the mother (a survivor)
tearfully declare:
“I killed my son”
but I wonder if it’s true.
How can I still enjoy,
and walk barefoot in that sand?
And in the evening dine on fish,
under a full-moon by the sea,
without reflecting what it ate.
How can we face the tears,
from survivors of a flight
created by the wars
of a continent
once divided by
our colonial greed.
We face the onslaught of
our collective guilt,
as the paradise has turned
into a burial ground.
What can we do? What?
Lampedusa from Wikimedia Commons
Today at dVerse we are writing poetry about Italy. We have been overwhelmed by those heart-breaking pictures from the Island of Lampedusa, and that was where my thoughts went.
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October 12, 2013
Björn Rudbergs writings 
I had no idea about this beach having been voted “the best beach of the world”. How tragically cynical! You are sadly right about the responsibility of colonial Europe. We feel incredibly powerless in front of modern tragedy but your strong words remind us that we should never be immune to human suffering.
I googled it.. and it seemed so cynical.. I have actually harboured a wish to go to Lampedusa for many years. It is supposed to be a beautiful island.
This is more than touching … you have created a beautiful poetic memorial, one that says so much about you I might add. I am deeply touched. Don’t come by, not writing yet, catching up upon my reading.
Ah.. I be by later.. 🙂 and thank you for your kind comment
Bjorn, this was so different than you other work. I commend you for such an excellent write. >KB
Thank you – sometimes the news just overwhelms me…
whew…what a powerful piece…the ghosts of a place, once horrid, now a beach to enjoy…its hard to swallow at times….you caught me early with…the 300 bodies.
lost so very close in hope
of their survival….the thought of the smell took me back to the tain cars from the holocaust…i can easily smell it again when i let my mind wander there….
and this happened just the other week .. a boat started to burn just of the coast of Lampedusa… refugees from Africa, trying to escape over the sea to Europe…
What a moving and current poem this is, Bjorn….and a reminder to us that all is not right with the world. Your words will stay with me.
Maybe it’s been more over the news here.. it is a terrible reminder what desperation can drive people to. The survival rate is about 50% i heard today…
How sad & moving Bjorn ~ I feel for those victims ~ I won’t be able to walk barefoot nor eat anything from there ~
I think the sea has swallowed a lot of victims.. the sea is a burial ground in reality.
You are a kind man, Bjorn.
Thank you .. I try my best.
Agh- these fishing villages– life so difficult. Thanks for the thoughtful post, Bjorn. k.
Those poor refugees.
Yes. All over. I think of the ones coming over on the boats now and sinking–like the ones from Cuba but seems an even more difficult trip. k.
Powerful piece, though inspiring.
Thank you.. The newspaper have been filled…
That is so sad. A powerful write… Bjorn. Heart-wrenching and intense. A cyclone has hit the eastern part of the country today… I was already feeling glum, thinking about it.
Oh that is so sad… had to google it.. seems like a huge disaster.. one should not read the news sometimes.
Another disaster. A fitting tribute to the poor souls, who took their lives in their hands in the hopes of a better future. How desperate must things get, to consider taking only bare necessities (if even that much) to a strange land….
I read that only 50% survive on average.. it has to be a lot worse what they are leaving…
A horrible thought…
oh björn – i’m glad you wrote about this… it’s terribly sad and really love that you gave them a voice..
I have very political today…
wow, so poignant a reminder, and a good write, indeed
Thank you.. yes it came into my mind when thinking about Italy.
We share a passion, brother, let the day’s news events take you somewhere to share, or looking back across history; like others, you impress me on this to put your verse out there with the form-nets down, free as thought, as the stench of death on the wind; good one.
It was a poem I really wanted to write after thinking about Italy and how it’s been in the news recently.
Your words really hit me, especially when contrasted against the more lighthearted poetry. Made me stop and think – nice one!
Thank you Rowan.. I needed to get these thoughts out of my system.
Powerful poem Björn.
Thank you Bryan..
Yow. I wonder if the entire ocean is made of tears from all the lost and misguided passages. Thank you for the feet on the sand, for the 300, for not thinking this too will pass.
For once I think they will be remembered…
Nicely done Bjorn. I don’t agree with all of your message but it is cleverly crafted.
Living in Africa and having lived in quite a few countries I no longer hold the view that the ex-colonials should feel guilty – much of Africa worked far better under colonial rule than it does now and some Africans admit that. Sure it was wrong and had to end but the plight of Africa is not sourced in foreigners but in the culture of self-serving greed and corruption. If only it were not so Africa would not be the basket-case it is and $3Trillion would not have been wasted in aid in the past 50 years. Most Africans are worse off than they were 30 years ago and that is not the fault of the outside world or the ex-colonials.
Thanks – I do agree it’s a complicated issue. To me the major guilt or responsibility lies in how colonialism ended. Still today unatural borders and the void left by the colonialism is a cathalyst for war and unrest. Also our companies hunting for natural resources could behave a lot better.
A very sad state of affairs eloquently expressed.
Thank you.. It has been a lot of sad pictures and stories in the news recently…
A serious engagement with difficult issues, and a very strong response to the prompt.
Thank you.. Maybe it was more Africa than Italy really but I needed to write it.
a powerful write. i haven’t had access to the news lately, so i googled it. wow. i am glad you gave them a voice – thank you for this excellent piece.
Thank you for reading it and commenting.. and if you googled it, one part is achieved….
Yes, a very timely piece.. well said and restrained.. the more powerful for that restraint. The multiple ironies come over loud and clear.. survival, loss, hope.. and the incongruity of the perfect tourist destination.
Thank you.. I think that a restrained voice can speak a lot louder than a anything shouted …
Can’t imagine being a witness to such horror but do know how horror stays with you and permeates one’s being. Poignant write.
I have only witnessed through the newspaper… but it was more than enough.
This is a powerful write my friend. Thank you for sharing it, and in doing so, keeping the memory of those people alive!
I had no idea… your poem is a wonderful tribute. That mother’s comment… she must have felt responsible for her son’s death and now she has to live with that – tragic.