On February 22nd 2011.  A devastating 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch in New Zealand's South Island, and changed the lives of many New Zealander's forever.

A Poem For Christchurch:



'Just Another Day'




I went to work this morning - it was just another day.

Never dreaming for one moment of the horrors we would face.

12.51 will now be etched forever in our minds,

The day the Garden City fell - Mother Nature crossed the line,

The panic and the shock would hit each and everyone,

From Bluff up to Kaitaia - no respite for anyone.

The phone lines jammed as many calls each one of us would make

To our loved ones down in Christchurch - we just prayed we weren't too late.

The cameras started rolling we could not believe the sights

The screams, the cries, the panicked look in everybody's eyes.

The twisted metal girders of the buildings that fell down,

The rubble, dust and mud pools forming all around the town.

Those of us who were not there still shed our tears the same

For people trapped and dying though we did not know their names.

New Zealand's darkest day had come and together we must stand

To give all that we have to try and help our fellow man.

The Kiwi way it will prevail - we will stand proud and strong

As our nation comes together, Christchurch will live on.

We will rebuild, we will stand up and shake our fists up to the sky

You may have knocked us down a while - but we'll get up and fight.

To everyone that's lost someone our hearts they bleed as one.

Our thanks go to the rescuers - to each and every one,

To the unsung heroes on the street who didn't stop to think,

Who put themselves in danger helping others from the brink,

To the police force and the army and the student volunteers,

To the USAR teams from near and far who kindly share our tears.

We will go on, we will prevail to live another day.

After all, that's what we are - it is the Kiwi way!



By Tracy McAra
Donations can be made online at the NZ Red Cross [link]
also the SPCA have a website to help many animals affected by the quake.
[link]