Silence at the cenotaph
All along the widest street
Silence in the churches
At 11, the people meet
Silence in the poppies
Grown on Flanders’s fields
Worn with pride with medals
Memories slow to heal
Silence on the Somme
No rifle shot was heard
Silence that was frightening
Silence that was feared
Silence causing numbness
Silence causing pain
Death before the silence
Thereafter
Hope again.
Ruth Partridge 