Wear Orange Day 2023

 Moment of Silence

When we ask for it, the moment
of silence, the room goes truly still,
the air thick with grief
and our amazement. We hear our
togetherness. It somehow comforts.

When we are outdoors, the birds
come in, or the distant basketball
game in the park, and we remember
the innocence of our lost boys,
our relatives and friends, our girls
in the playground or on their own
porches, in their own beds
when they were shot. It’s not right.

Let’s try. Together. Now.
Let’s try it now. Take a moment,
and let it fill.

                      What did we hear?
Together? As we shared our moment
of silence, filled with the breath
and life we hope to preserve. Hope.
We heard hope, holding us together.


--Kathleen Kirk, June 3, 2023 Wear Orange Day