If it was your kid... (Greek version)

A poem about the Tempi train collision which happened on 28/02/23. This is the greek unapologetic version with the translation so you can learn the truth. WE WANT JUSTICE!

Aν ήταν το παιδί σου, θα κοιμόσουν τη νύχτα;

Όπου στην ψυχή σου χαραγμένη θα ήταν η δικιά του απουσία;

Θα έκλαιγες καθημερινά ελπίζοντας να το δεις σύντομα,

ή θα έθαbες ξανά την αλήθεια μέσα σε ψέματα;

Aν ήταν το παιδί σου, θα το αποκαλούσες ένα απλό ατύχημα;

Όταν το σύστημα το ελέγχουν ανόητοι, που δεν τους νοιάζει τίποτα.

Θα μετρούσες ακόμα τα λεφτά σου, ενώ οι μανάδες θρηνούν,

κι οι πατεράδες στέκονται σιωπηλοί, χωρίς να ξέρουν τι να πρώτο πουν;

Aν ξέραμε πόσα πράγματα πήγαιναν λάθος με αυτά τα τρένα,

Νομίζετε πως ακόμα θα bάζαμε την οικογένεια μας μέσα;

Aν ήταν το παιδί σου, ούτε εσύ δεν θα το έκανες.

Μα κάνεις λες και δεν έχεις καρδιά και τις δικές μας καις

Aν ήταν το παιδί σου, θα ζητούσες αλλαγή;

Θα ούρλιαζες στους δρόμους, γεμάτος οργή;

Το πρώτο πράγμα που θα έκανες θα ήταν να πας εκκλησία;

Ή θα απαιτούσες να αποδείξει η Ελλάδα ότι εδώ γεννήθηκε η δημοκρατία;

Μα δεν ήταν το παιδί σου, οπότε γιατί να αγχωθείς;

Bρήκες δικαιολογίες, νομίζεις δεν θα ξεσηκωθεί κανείς  

Μα εμείς είμαστε ακόμα εδώ, δεν θα ξεχάσουμε ούτε μια ψυχή,

Gια τις 57 ψυχές, θα φωνάζουμε μέχρι και την επόμενη μας ζωή 

κάθε 28η Φεbρουαρίου, κάθε μέρα.

Aγαπητή κυbέρνηση, αν ήταν το παιδί σου... ακόμα θα κοίταζες πέρα;

English translation:

If it was your kid, would you sleep at night?

With their absence carved deep into your soul?

Would you cry every day, hoping to see them soon,

or would you bury the truth once again in lies?

If it was your kid, would you just call it an accident?

When the system is run by fools who care about nothing?

Would you still count your money while mothers mourn,

while fathers stand silent, not knowing what to say first?

If we knew how many things were wrong with these trains,

Do you think we would still put our family in there?

If it was your kid, you wouldn’t.

But now you act like you have no heart, and you burn ours instead.

If it was your kid, would you demand change?

Would you scream in the streets, filled with rage?

Would the first thing you do be to go to church?

Or would you demand that Greece proves democracy was born here?

But it wasn’t your kid, so why should you care?

You found your excuses, thinking no one will rise.

But we are still here, we will forget no one.

For the 57 souls, we will scream until our next life,

every 28th of February, every single day.

Dear government, if it was your kid... would you still look away?

Author's Note

Here is the Greek version of "If it was your kid..." I decided to make it more harsh and unapologetic because we, the greek people, share the pain for what the government has done and still does to us and to those 57 lives that were tragically lost that day so I thought that the lines needed to be more "raw". For some reason a few of the original letters are replaced with a question mark (�) so I changed those with english letters. I also decided to give you the direct English translation so there are no rhymes and you might notice that it's not too different than the actual English version but some lines have been changed to reveal the truth. Rest in peace to the 57 souls and please stay safe. ❤️‍🩹

Reviews

[sailesh]

Your poem is haunting, raw, and deeply moving. You don’t just ask questions—you demand answers. Every line carries weight, and I felt it pressing on my chest as I read. The repetition of "If it was your kid..." is powerful, cutting straight to the heart of those who turn a blind eye.

You’ve captured the injustice, the grief, and the unbearable hypocrisy of a system that fails its people. The imagery of silent fathers, mourning mothers, and a government that buries the truth instead of facing it—it all feels painfully real. Your words don’t just speak; they echo. They demand accountability.

The last stanza lingers long after the poem ends. “Would you still look away?” That’s not just a question—it’s a confrontation. You’ve given a voice to those 57 souls, and your poem ensures they won’t be forgotten.

This is more than poetry; it’s resistance. And it’s powerful.

[Efxaris Arampatzi]

Thank you so much for your review. You have understood this poem really well, so I really appreciate you thank you! My goal writing this is for at the very least one person to understand it fully and you have and thankfully so many other people have too. The government lying to us as if we're dumb is just crazy, and the things they have done to cover up everything are even crazier. They could have prevented this but they decided not to but then after the damage was done was when they decided to do something. People had to DIE so they would do something. This whole situation is insane so writing this poem was the very least I could do to give the oxygen to everyone on that train that they didn't have.

[sailesh]

omg I read an article about the incident, it's so heartbreaking how the government turned an blind eye to the incident, those responsible should be held accountable.

[Efxaris Arampatzi]

I know, we should all do whatever we can to put them behind the bars where they deserve to be. It is truly tragic.

[faith]

This poem is raw and powerful, filled with grief and anger and i hear you. “If it was your kid” forces a deep personal reflection, making the pain impossible to ignore. The closing question you put leaves a lasting impact — a plea for empathy and action.

[Efxaris Arampatzi]

Thank you so much for your kind review. Everything you mentioned is what I wanted to achieve with this poem, it was what I wanted the reader to think of this poem and it looks like I achieved it so thank you! It is a poem of anger, asking the goverment what they would if they had lost their kid or anyone really that they knew in that train collision, would they mourn and demand for justice or do the things that they do now which is covering up everything and just move on and act like they don't have a heart, exposing the truth.

[Martiya Daman]

Your talked about the same train collision with some adjustments and they make the poem sound more emotional. The 57 lives gone, yet goverment does not care!

Imagine how sad the parents, children or whoever be, and the goverment is sitting here sharing lies! This is abosolute sadness! Why is the world like this? JUSTICE FOR ALL!

Martiya

[Efxaris Arampatzi]

Yes exactly! They sit here and lie to our faces even though we have evidence for everything they have done but they think we are stupid. Justice needs to be served at least for the 57 souls!

[Martiya Daman]

My god, what a government... :(

[Beren Ongur]

I’m here for the support! Hope this poem can reach more people! ❤️

[Efxaris Arampatzi]

Thank you so much Beren!!! It needs to, truth needs to be learnt and justice needs to be served!! ❤️‍🩹