Tags
Australian poet, Formal poetry, Government cover-ups, Notre-Dame de Paris, Notre-Dame de Paris Fire, Petrarchan sonnet, poem, poetry, sonnet, Spenserian sonnet
Cathedral Conflagration Clues
๐:
Within a day we know what was the cause
Of this disaster โ what efficiency!
Unscathed by revolution and world wars;
But now an accident, and all agree
It was, and yet it seems quite strange to me
That this could happen โ were there not strict rules,
And drills, extinguishers? I just canโt see,
Despite this being France, how could some fools,
Some workers start a fire (or two?). It fuels
The arson theory to exclude it โ to
Lay blame on renovators or their tools
Without investigation. Facts are few,
Misinformation plentiful โ was it
By spark, a rag that smouldered, or match lit?
๐:
Although they say it was an accident.
Why did the fire breakout at Easter time?
Could it have been, in fact, an arson crime?
Why did a vacillating government,
With obscene haste declare that this event,
This tragedy, loss of a jewel sublime,
A symbol of the Christian Paradigm,
Was accidental โ no evil intent
Was found. (When nothingโs looked for nothingโs found).
They had not searched amongst the cooling ash.
Forensic tests? โ no, they had not been done.
The charred remains still cloaked the sacred ground,
And that was for the better โ no backlash
Is likely…….. if there is no smoking gun.
โ D.N. OโBrien
dnobrienpoetry 
Nicely written as always, Dennis. Certainly raises some questions! Alas….
Interesting combination of fixed forms.
I imagine that after so many other churches in the same nation have been attacked, they would feel terribly humiliated to have to admit that the jewel of French churches had not been better protected. Of course, I don’t know what the cause was, but it does, indeed, seem odd that a short circuit in an elevator — which did set off an alarm — could end up causing so much complete devastation.
Yes, they were quick to jump to a politically correct conclusion.