Stay Put

by Mark Mr T Thompson

Sunday 25th June 2017 2:21 am (first posted Friday 16th June 2017 7:04 am)

I have a fear of fire.

I have a fear of height.

I have a fear of being trapped alone

On my life's very last night.

I have a fear of towers.

I fear the way they sway.

The way the wind's wicked whispers

whistle past with far too much to say.

I fear some in high places.

I fear they do not care.

I fear they lack compassion

I can smell it in the air.

I fear some have been greedy

I fear corners have been cut.

I fear eyes that should be open now

By weight of coin have been shut.

I fear I'd have known the policy;

I fear it 'cos true.

I fear my undoing would have been

to do what I'd been told to do.

I fear that I'd still be there

Beneath the charcoal blackened soot.

Yes, I fear that I'd still be there now

because I would've stayed put.

Mark 'Mr T' Thompson

16.6.17

Comments

Mark Mr T Thompson

Sat 17th Jun 2017 08:49

Thanks all for the positive comments.

It has been a very emotional time for London, and for all with compassion or empathy.

X

Mark Mr T Thompson

Fri 16th Jun 2017 14:40

Jemima the advice given was unless the fire was in your property you should place wet towels at your doors to block the entry of smoke and await rescue.

People were still being told that on the night, by the police and fire service on the phone. People that would be alive if they had left with said towels over their heads.

This policy is known as 'Stay Put. It is based on the previously reasonable premise that fires are contained internally. The cladding that burnt made this premise invalid and turned the policy into a death sentence.

The fact that no resident was treated for burns suggests that they did what I suggest I would have done (I once lived on the 12th floor myself). They stayed put.

Jemima Jones

Fri 16th Jun 2017 14:14

easy to say with hindsight what one would do if in that situation,but,and with the greatest of respect,why didn't we hear of anyone at least wrapping themselves in water soaked blanket's etc?.There again I suppose due to the ferocity of the flames,even that kind of protection would have only lasted for so long.Would it have been possible and of any use for water carrying helicopter's to be deployed? So many if's and but's.Let us hope lesson's WILL be learned.Thank you.Jemima.

Julian (Admin)

Fri 16th Jun 2017 11:28

A valiant effort to achieve the impossible task of putting our feelings into words: the compassion and the anger. Heads rarely do roll, I fear. It's often the rest who suffer, it seems.

Laura Taylor

Fri 16th Jun 2017 09:21

Thank you Mark. I have no words for this horror, so thank you for writing yours.

<Deleted User> (13762)

Fri 16th Jun 2017 08:09

for me the key line in this poem Mr T is 'I fear some in high places' - there is a comparison to be made here between those on the wealthy top floors of authority to those on the top floors of a burning substandard tower block in the poor part of town.

your title is well chosen - those two words and all the ghastly film clips and sound bites will haunt us for a generation to come, like Hillsborough. Heads surely need to roll. But where will the buck stop and who will end up being the fall guy when so much of the system is at fault?

thanks for posting,
Col

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Stay Put

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