Yang Sing River Poem by Jan Oskar Hansen

Yang Sing River Disaster
A sudden squall in the river and the ferry was
high in the water and it capsized so quickly
that there was no time for alarm.
The passengers’ mostly elderly people who had
saved money to do this one in a life -time cruise.
The stalker death suddenly struck this was not
the way the old had planned to die.
The hope was a bed, near family around and
there would be words of everlasting love
propped up by embroidered pillows.
The Chinese love their old people – or did- now
they are angry want to know the sea- worthiness of
the ship, private or state owned? Someone has to
been found guilty, perhaps her captain?