Reverent silence falls over all,
To those now come to view the wall;
The black line stretches beyond belief,
Veterans come to heal unconsoled grief.
The park full of laughter and joy all around,
Now silent and still has become hallowed ground;
Fifty-eight thousand, one hundred ninety-one,
Eight Daughters sacrificed and all the rest Sons.
What can they leave here? A rose in a crack,
A token of love, but it won't bring them back;
East to West the black wall trails on,
For what did they die, These precious souls gone?
Like sunlight rising burns brightly then descends,
Future's golden promise now tragically ends.
(c) Lois Kidd
1994
