A poem written by Ryan Williams as posted on his Facebook page:
Text
As others have said, this was very close to home for myself & partner who frequently pop in from the outskirts of the city to go see a gig, and so know the venue well.
We heard about it from a friend who was there with her teenage daughter, she'd updated her Facebook page to say that there had been a loud bang and that they were being herded out, thankfully arriving home safely but shaken.
So sad to see a music event targetted as something we love, and because music unites people from all walks of life.
Heartbroken for the victims, their families and friends. Thoughts and sympathies to all.
And I'll repeat T.j's request but in my own words:
To those of you seeking to hijack this thread and atrocity for your own OT agendas, please can you kindly shut up and jog on to some other dark corner of the internet - thank you.
Text
"A grey Tuesday morning, 'neath Lancastrian skies
We wake once again to wipe tears from our eyes.
Forced to wear robes of weakness and pity,
As cowards attack the very heart of our city.
Like always we'll comfort and hold one another,
A Mancunian family of sisters and brothers.
For a time our strut is reduced to a stagger,
But make no mistake, we'll rekindle our swagger.
We'll learn how to live with another deep scar.
If you think you can beat us, you don't know who we are!
We're Collyhurst, Ancoats, Moston and Sale.
We're Oldham and Bury; Ashton; Rochdale.
We're Pankhurts and Turing, the Gallagher Brothers,
We're Morrissey, Marr and a million others!
We're a city of workers, a city of shirkers.
A city of tracksuits, and bibles and burkas.
Vegetarian, Rastafarian, Athiest, Jew.
100 red! 100% blue.
We're each of us different but never alone.
In the Cosmopolitopia we get to call 'home'.
So, come at us again, and again if you must.
Time after time we'll rise from the dust.
You'll never prevail - not against us...
This is Manchester, our Manchester,
And the bees still buzz!"
We wake once again to wipe tears from our eyes.
Forced to wear robes of weakness and pity,
As cowards attack the very heart of our city.
Like always we'll comfort and hold one another,
A Mancunian family of sisters and brothers.
For a time our strut is reduced to a stagger,
But make no mistake, we'll rekindle our swagger.
We'll learn how to live with another deep scar.
If you think you can beat us, you don't know who we are!
We're Collyhurst, Ancoats, Moston and Sale.
We're Oldham and Bury; Ashton; Rochdale.
We're Pankhurts and Turing, the Gallagher Brothers,
We're Morrissey, Marr and a million others!
We're a city of workers, a city of shirkers.
A city of tracksuits, and bibles and burkas.
Vegetarian, Rastafarian, Athiest, Jew.
100 red! 100% blue.
We're each of us different but never alone.
In the Cosmopolitopia we get to call 'home'.
So, come at us again, and again if you must.
Time after time we'll rise from the dust.
You'll never prevail - not against us...
This is Manchester, our Manchester,
And the bees still buzz!"
As others have said, this was very close to home for myself & partner who frequently pop in from the outskirts of the city to go see a gig, and so know the venue well.
We heard about it from a friend who was there with her teenage daughter, she'd updated her Facebook page to say that there had been a loud bang and that they were being herded out, thankfully arriving home safely but shaken.
So sad to see a music event targetted as something we love, and because music unites people from all walks of life.
Heartbroken for the victims, their families and friends. Thoughts and sympathies to all.
And I'll repeat T.j's request but in my own words:
To those of you seeking to hijack this thread and atrocity for your own OT agendas, please can you kindly shut up and jog on to some other dark corner of the internet - thank you.
