Silence

Ashley Jean Roethel

Age 13

 

A million moments of silence

Will never echo the quiet of the grave

A billion banners flying

Cannot free terror’s slave

A thousand poets scribbling

What solace can they give?

The most beautiful lyric or appropriate metaphor

Will not allow the dead to live.

Rewind and stop the footage

Clear the stones away one by one

But you cannot unmake the memories

Cannot undo what has been done.

But still we keep on trying

Keep our hopes and spirits strong

‘Cause the truth is, we’re American

And we don’t stay down for long.