This poem recounts the death of Sarah's parents in 1912. At fourteen, Sarah and her parents - John and Martha - boarded a coloreds-only train in Pittsburgh. They were heading to Philadelphia for a weekend getaway to tour Independence Hall, the site of the famous Liberty Bell.

Anarchists rigged dynamite on the tracks at the Harrisburg station. The massive explosion derailed the train, taking dozens of black lives. Including the lives of Sarah's parents.

~~~~~~~~~~

Two Clouds

Two clouds – one white, the other black,

One heaven-made, the other created by evil,

One brings rain, the other unleashes tears,

Cascading from the eyes of those who witness.

Black smoke rises with wings and vigor,

It shades the white sky, taking away its luster,

Dark plumes blanketing the coral horizon,

People yell and wail as a raging heat swells.

Damp fills my eyes, a sign of dark's presence,

The train station plunges into panic,

I reach out to find them, and deed they would dread,

To run into the smoke, ignoring the horror.

Papa! Mama!

Just moments ago, my feeble limbs floated,

Papa tried to pull me back into his embrace,

My hand pulling away from his grasp.

We fell to the ground, flames rising above the train,

As men and women cried out,

As screams and shouts announced evil's work,

The explosion stole all I loved in this life, my parents.

Author's Note

We all go through ups and downs in life. We are bound to face many challenges.

The tragic loss of Sarah's parents will set in motion a cascade of events in her life.

Will those events take her down a dark path? Or to a place of empowerment?

How will those events shape Sarah's future?

Thank you for reading!