A City United

Halfway around the world
Inspired by music,
Inspired by friendship,
Inspired by a coming together
In pursuit of an experience shared.

Looking back halfway around the world
In a city so close to my adopted home.
Thousands in that same pursuit
Travelling not so far, but seeking the same coming together.
United in joy and a feeling of belonging.

Night after night
In a city landscaped by it's music,
Shaped by the passion and the heart of it's people,
The sounds that define a culture
Note upon note, word upon word
Building a city beyond buildings

No-one imagines they will not return home,
And from halfway around the world
Awaiting another plane,
I feel a lump in my throat
A tear prick my eye,
The thought of a child not returning home,
From a longing to belong,
From a feeling of euphoric togetherness
To lives being blown apart

I visualise the concourse I have walked so many times
Now stained red.
From halfway around the world
I feel a poignant sadness
The horror strikes so close to my home and my heart,
To the places I live and the places I play.

But no sounds of explosions will quieten the city of music,
The screams and the cries will weave their way
Into the fabric of the notes and the words,
It will pause and it will breathe
And it will sing again.
Hate will not tear apart
A City United.