Poetry: A Moment of Silence

 

Let us bow our heads

For a moment of silence

 

Silence

That transcends religion

Location

Language and identity

 

Silence

Because there are no words

Strong enough to bear the burden

Of expressing grief like this

 

Silence

After the noise

After the screams and the shouts and the terror

Silence

As if we can say this is over

 

But what comes after

The moment of silence

How are we supposed to react?

How do we move on

When the night has not ended for so many

Across the world?

 

May we return to our lives?

May we find joy in

The simple things that brought smiles to our faces

Yesterday?

May we smile and laugh

After this moment of silence?

 

We are silent and we grieve

But at the same time

We cannot stop

From fear or from sorrow—

If we do not return to living

Then Respect is not the winner

But yet another victim

 

Let us bow our heads

For a moment of silence

And let us never live our lives so loudly

That we forget the reason for that moment

But neither let us gag ourselves

Against the joys of life

With bindings of guilt

 

A moment of silence

And then the clamor of life again

So that the world can heal.