Cathedral Conflagration Clues

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

𝟏:

Within a day we know what was the cause
Of this disaster — 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 — were there not strict rules,
And drills, extinguishers? I just can’t see,
Despite this being France, how could some fools,
Some workers start a fire (or two?). It fuels
The arson theory to exclude it — to
Lay blame on renovators or their tools
Without investigation. Facts are few,
Misinformation plentiful — was it
By spark, a rag that smouldered, or match lit?

𝟐:

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 — no evil intent
Was found. (When nothing’s looked for nothing’s found).
They had not searched amongst the cooling ash.
Forensic tests? — no, they had not been done.
The charred remains still cloaked the sacred ground,
And that was for the better — no backlash
Is likely…….. if there is no smoking gun.

— D.N. O’Brien