silence
silence in the heart of a thousand cries
all alone among those whose hearts cry out in agony
the silent pitch gains volume
and she has to press her hands to her ears
she wakes up and stumbles along through the rubble
her dress is tattered, she is covered in white dirt
she is numb and feels no pain in the wound on her left leg
the picture of her mother laying motionless...
she blanks it out and now limps among wailing souls
she feels a hand upon her shoulder but walks on
half unconscious, her arms hanging loose at her sides
she can hear her heartbeat now in this virtual silence
someone dressed in white steps in front of her and stops her
holding her by the shoulders
she stops walking, she stops thinking
she longs to stop breathing; mother...
and she is in front of her, her mommy
her smile comforting as she looks into her eyes
she involuntarily hiccups a stifled sob; oh mother..
it will be all right, her mother says
mom, she calls out
and the lady in white embraces the little soul
as her body is rocked by sobbing; mother..
and she will be all right in time, mother is now with God
Image: Roosewelt Pinheiro/Abr, Haiti earthquake camp
This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Brazil License.
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