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May 15th, 2026
Dublin Poetry Contest #3 – First Place
by Siobháin Spear
Where were you, Mammy — When families were herded to safe zones? Generations torn from houses: Chased by missiles, fire and drones; The dull humming of quadcopters Circling with shoot-to-kill tones, The lie of humanitarian corridors, Peace forever postponed. Childhood dreams silenced by shells; A future reduced to rubble and bones. Where were you, Mammy — When you heard how Hind had died? 335 bullets drilled into her car, An armoured tank leaving nowhere to hide. A five-year-old pleading, begging to be saved; Her haunting cries broadcast worldwide. Family? Dead. Six slaughtered relatives by her side. Where were you, Mammy — When they buried ambulances in the sand? 15 first responders with red crescents In convoy to the beat of a broken band, Lights flaring, sirens blaring, But unable to withstand The circling stealth predators, A rampage coldly planned. Aid workers shot, hands bound — Buried with the history of their land. Where were you, Mammy — When journalists were bombed for broadcasting the news? Reporters armoured in press vests, Their voices silenced in youth. Hope hunted with a missile, The killers walked free, crimes excused — A massacre smothered in silence, Though millions had watched it, too. A hospital bombed — then bombed again To kill the witnesses, to kill the truth. Where were you, Mammy — When they lured the hungry with their lies? They opened fire on famished children, Then denied, denied, denied. They turned starvation into a weapon, Promises of food for those who survived The real-life hunger games, A killing plan disguised. A famine made by people — A graveyard under the skies. Tell me, Mammy, where were you ...And what did you do When the whole world just watched them die?
About the Poet
Siobháin Spear resides in Clare, Munster, Ireland.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications
on Siobháin Spear's Artist Page.
This poem is also featured in Comet #8, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Keywords: Moral conscience, Palestine, Genocide
Previously published in Dublin Poetry Magazine:
Humanity
by Lorraine Ryan
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