"Words for Grenfell" drabbles by Peter Humfrey

A Spark then a Flame

Words for Grenfell #2

A spark then a flame,
Smoke then the alarm.
Panicked shouts abound,
As the fire begins to harm.

It courses upwards,
The blaze begins to grow.
More alarms going off,
As the neighbours begin to know.

The heat starts to build,
As the fire leaps in ascent.
The thick, acrid smoke pours,
Through every corridor and vent.

Shouts turn to screams,
People trapped in the glow.
A tower they call home,
Now a pyre of endless woe.

The mountainous inferno,
The tragedy and the pain.
The horror as so many lives,
Shall never see day again.

Consumed by a spark.

A Shattered Silent Night

Words for Grenfell #1

A warm June night,
Lit by the gentle street glow.
The hum and rush rises,
From the city street below.

Night workers mill about,
As drunks stagger home.
Night bus drivers on their route,
Whilst homeless souls roam.

The city pulsing at 1am,
To the gentle pace of the night.
The sprawling worlds in London,
Where diversity paints a sight.

But then a far-off siren,
Pierces this night-time scene.
One, then two, then a dozen,
Shatter this darkness so serene.

A community in London burns,
The city's silence turns.
The shattering of this silent hour,
Burning Grenfell Tower.