The earth rumbled Buildings by the dozen tumbled Leaving inmates buried under the debris Wailing like the proverbial banshee The pathetic and tragic scenes that did emerge Made the entire nation experience the scourge There were screams for help and shrill cries Desperation writ deep in their eyes With so much suffering and pain The survivors too were being driven insane. The questions uppermost in their mind in the ruins, how many living beings would they find would the relief supplies arrive in time? Would the sniffer-dogs smell or hear the living whine? How many would be extricated from the rubble before they get asphyxiated? And finally when would the tremors cease Leaving people time to grieve and helping tension ease?
