I weep for those trapped in the tower
I weep for those who left people behind
I weep for the bystanders witnessing neighbours begging for help -
I weep for the first responders
I weep for the firefighters limited by their equipment
Limited by their numbers
Limited by their budgets
I weep for the paramedics
Who run towards danger
For minimum wage
I weep for medics
Who work to save lives
With one eye on the ledger
Today I weep for the police
Who are damned if they do
And damned if they don’t
I weep for the officials who again are asked to explain without knowing all the facts
I weep for the press officers who struggle to grasp the details
I weep for the journalists told not to come back without an angle
I weep for the inevitable blame
For middle managers under pressure to save funds
For the councils who lost it all in the financial crash
I weep with anger
With frustration
With helplessness
Today I weep
For the empty spaces left
In schools
Communities
Families
Today I weep for the ones we lost last week
To three men
In a van
With knives
I weep for those we lost the week before
Who were dancing
And laughing
With friends
I weep for Westminster
For Orlando
For Paris
Today I weep too for the hashtag
#dm me
As people offer food
Shelter
Comfort
I weep for the reopening of Borough Market
The restaurants
The staff
I weep for the money raised in the name of Manchester
Westminster
Pulse
I weep as devastated communities pull together
In their grief
In their loss
In their hope
I weep making donations
I weep hugging my loved ones
I weep counting my blessings…