The Silence of Tears The eyes spoke first Silent with reddened tears That trickled paths to memories Lit by constant sound Of the screams of children Playful, adventurous, happy And by the screams of children Fearful, withdrawn, frightened As bomb and bullet flew In arcs that screamed and whistled And shrieked and shattered Any trace of happiness Smiles replaced by silent stares And breaths imperceptible quick and shallow The dread silence that stifled and smothered And which struck terror to all who remained Listening to the silence That screaming silence The trembling silence of anticipation That preceded the next crescendo of death Now the silence of memories Surfaced in the unheard night terrors and sobs Memories scattered and blown as silent as the dust From brick and concrete and homes and lives Silence can be deafening And those tears from those silent eyes Distant, remembering Wished it were _____________________________ Silence can be as disturbing as the loudest noise. A poem for those who have lived through fear and conflict, have faced terror. For those who survive, many of them refugees in unknown countries, it is silence that can be the most feared experience...for silence is rarely that. It is filled with image and memory and pain. The silent tears speak so much.
