Another Day in Hell Part 1

"Everybody, get down"
They yelled as they entered the store.
We hid under the table,
Fearing for our lives.
Three gunmen walked around
Grabbing all the cell phones and wallets,
Beating the staff behind the tills.

Bang!

He fell to the ground right beside us!!!!!
Poor man,
He had just walked in
Not knowing what had been going on inside.
And now he lay in a pool
Of his own blood,
His eyes pleading for us to help.
I couldn't move,
Couldn't scream.
I felt ill right to my stomach.

More gunshots -
One robber down!
We gathered our things
And began to run out the door.
I turned around,
Feeling uneasy about the robber on the floor.
I saw him reach out for his gun,
Aim it in my direction...

Before he pulled the trigger
The gun was kicked out of his hand.
But that look in that man's eyes -
They weren't human!
They were almost demonic,
Filled with such hatred,
Yet blank, as if on drugs.

As I ran out,
Everything flashed before my eyes:
The man landing beside us;
That deep red pool of blood;
The robber getting shot down;
Turning to see that my life
Could come to an end in an instant;
That demonic look on his face.

As I watched the ambulance arriving,
A sad realisation hit me -
This is our everyday life
Here in South Africa.
We fear for our lives;
Fear for our families;
Fear for our property;
Fear all the time.

We are never safe;
There's no one you can trust -
The cops are corrupt;
The government is up to shit;
The neighbours are too scared to leave home;
The demons are everywhere.

So we lock ourselves up in our homes
In a vain attempt to keep them out
And keep our families safe.
But what kind of life
Is one lived in a cage?
What kind of life
Is one constantly
Lived in fear?
What kind of life
Is one living here
In this place called Hell?

CopyrightJosieWentzel17May2008