Poetry – John Phillips – Silence

Another poem from Shorts and Shots

Silence

Stone on stone on stone, the city canyons,

Towering ramparts, stark against the sky,

Once living, vibrant, fat with city sound.

No sound to break the silence of shadows.

Believe! We shall prevail! The Leaders cry.

The flag, the drums, the sound of marching feet

And crowds, then cheering, now forever still.

Nothing disturbs the silence of the ghosts.

Silent, the end, no sirens mournful wail

To mark the passing. But  blinding, choking;

Beckoning forth, rats to graze the streets,

Leaving behind the silence of the bones.

No birdsong brightens empty, city streets;

No sense of summer sun or winter chill.

No eyes, no ears, no thoughts, no memories.

Only the endless silence of the stone.