The Sarcophagus

Life is present on the ground and even in the air
Cleaning up our mess Mother Nature has her way
It’ll take some time to heal herself but she’ll make it one day
The guards’ check everyone going in to make sure all come out
No one gets left inside the zone; there can never be any doubt
We drive the long road in, as expectations run high
What will we see heaven knows but no longer can they hide the lie
Inside the thirty kilometre radius, Chernobyl is alive
With workers protecting the site and ensuring the world survives
Water pipes travel high above the road rather than underground
To prevent disturbing the earth where the radiation sleeps so sound
Many buildings and houses are left in disrepair
While Lenin stands upright and proud in the town square
The Orthodox Church is all that remains of the faith that once was here
Its colours of blue, purple, green and gold hide the tragedy so near
A monument stands in memory of ‘those who saved the world’ that year
If not for them, today Europe might not even be here
Flowers and trees sugar coat the devastation below
What’s going on under the sarcophagus’ hand, God only will know
The gigantic catfish in the river tell us no lies
As the meter readings around reactor four begin to rise
The skin begins to prickle as you near number four
They say taking control was harder than fighting a war
Nature has taken over in Pripyat; it’s not a town anymore
Looters destroyed the houses, schools and every single store
Birds and bees fly about; the trees and grass grow tall
No wonder the people hadn't any idea when they couldn’t see the danger at all
Carefully we tread across the glass, books strewn all over the floor
My emotions rise in my chest, I don’t know if I can take more
The desperate measures man takes to survive are evident at the store
All that remains are the isle signs and trolleys scattered around the floor
The Ferris wheel stands forlorn, constructed for the first of May
But the tragedy of reactor four ensured it never started that day
Twenty-four years ago they averted a world catastrophe
Will they reach the deadline, time is running out, we’ll have to wait and see.