Where The Silent Ones Sleep

A Poem By Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas & Jim Murphy

The grave where every stranger rests
There lies an echoed soul
Beneath the wilted flower beds
They sleep where truths are whole

Oh friend please come and walk with me
And hear of all they tell
The lessons learned from lives before
Where fossil bodies dwell

You see the stones engraved with pain?
But markings never speak
About the loves who came and went
Those hearts that never sleep

And if you see a pulse sometimes
A swelling in the ground
That undulates and permeates
The silence all around

Then let us knell before each plot
Our ears pressed to the soil
And eavesdrop on the lives that were
Attached to mortal coil

I hear the crying of a girl
Who died while giving birth
The hour set upon the stone
Departure from the Earth

But when I take a closer look
The name inscribed is worn
Though I can see the time she died
Was right when I was born

So now I'll listen carefully
As if afraid to pry
To hear the soldier calling me
Who was prepared to die

From bunker hill to valley forge
We always fought with pride
But heed these words I tell you son
Use freedom as your guide

And as I pause to read his name
So plain for all to see
It was the very same one that
My father gave to me

Be still to all who feel the wind
It stirs the restless black
Wild horses gallop in the night
To bring each rider back

One by one, ten thousand more
And with each final breath
Anothers born, another dies
As birth begins with death

Now when at last we turn our backs
On souls who were so dear
Whose voices keep on calling us
And beg us to stay near

But hand in hand we walk away
To plan a life that's true
Yet always carry memories
Of hearts that we once knew

If you would like to learn more about Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas. Please visit
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