'DANIEL' by HARRY DONNELLY
Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:31 am
Harry Donnelly has kindly given me permission to post his poem 'Daniel' here for you all.
‘Daniel’
Dear Bruce, Denise, Bradley and Dean — courageous family Morcombe,
your resilience, your grace, your dignity, fight for justice…simply awesome.
Throughout a trauma so debilitating…so unbelievably cruel,
when exhaustion left you empty your darling Daniel found the fuel.
We…the wider public, could never possibly understand,
a slither of a portion of the heartache dealt your hand.
And though each parent in our midst may feel some gravity of your loss,
most could never grasp this unimaginable final cost.
Your past decade filled with horror, filled with love…our full respect,
honouring Daniel in so many ways testing memory’s recollect.
As a community came together — our police force joined as one,
with a resolve unmatched, unparalleled toward some closure…finally done.
Unrelenting in their efforts to turn each Godforsaken stone,
as your Daniel Morcombe Foundation was so undeniably grown.
Tireless…seems inadequate to describe the never ending work
of yourselves and countless volunteers — Sunny Coast to back of Bourke.
Bruce — when justice finally came your Victim Impact Statement came,
your respect for Daniel’s dignity — attaching Mister to the name
of the lowest form of human born, you left an unmistakable mark
of victory over evil…indelibly tattooed across our hearts.
Denise — we also cried your tears across those horrid, horrid years
bouncing aimlessly between your endless faith and darkest fears.
And never shall we forget just how instinctively you knew,
when you first laid eyes on Cowan…to see your intuition through.
No decent being could fathom why paedophiles exist at all,
and as a father I can’t comprehend what would be my final call.
But from Denise for her darling Daniel…if any comfort her words could bring,
to Brett Peter Cowan — “You evil…evil unhuman thing”.
Harry Donnelly
13th March, 2014
‘Daniel’
Dear Bruce, Denise, Bradley and Dean — courageous family Morcombe,
your resilience, your grace, your dignity, fight for justice…simply awesome.
Throughout a trauma so debilitating…so unbelievably cruel,
when exhaustion left you empty your darling Daniel found the fuel.
We…the wider public, could never possibly understand,
a slither of a portion of the heartache dealt your hand.
And though each parent in our midst may feel some gravity of your loss,
most could never grasp this unimaginable final cost.
Your past decade filled with horror, filled with love…our full respect,
honouring Daniel in so many ways testing memory’s recollect.
As a community came together — our police force joined as one,
with a resolve unmatched, unparalleled toward some closure…finally done.
Unrelenting in their efforts to turn each Godforsaken stone,
as your Daniel Morcombe Foundation was so undeniably grown.
Tireless…seems inadequate to describe the never ending work
of yourselves and countless volunteers — Sunny Coast to back of Bourke.
Bruce — when justice finally came your Victim Impact Statement came,
your respect for Daniel’s dignity — attaching Mister to the name
of the lowest form of human born, you left an unmistakable mark
of victory over evil…indelibly tattooed across our hearts.
Denise — we also cried your tears across those horrid, horrid years
bouncing aimlessly between your endless faith and darkest fears.
And never shall we forget just how instinctively you knew,
when you first laid eyes on Cowan…to see your intuition through.
No decent being could fathom why paedophiles exist at all,
and as a father I can’t comprehend what would be my final call.
But from Denise for her darling Daniel…if any comfort her words could bring,
to Brett Peter Cowan — “You evil…evil unhuman thing”.
Harry Donnelly
13th March, 2014