The Sounds
by Chris Pepple – 2017
The sounds of the words of hate
came first—
the name calling
the threats both aloud and
whispered to a passerby…
Then it was the fighting
in the streets—
the fist fights among
different groups
then knives
then guns…
Then it became real,
turning hate into a war—
winner keeps all…
The shelling came next…
the bombs rocked our houses
and our schools and places of worship…
No place was safe…
Then came the cries of children
and mothers calling out the names
of children who would
never answer again…
and husbands and brothers and
and wives and sisters
and best friends and lovers…
Then the weeping before
the enormity of our pain
devoured our ability
to feel much less grieve…
So there was silence
as if we were already dead—
dead to those who claimed victory,
worthless to those who didn’t want
to touch our wounds or
caress our shoulders weighted
with unimaginable memories
of the sounds of the places we left—
the places we once called home…
©2017 Chris Pepple
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