The Clamour Of The Silence Poem by Alem Hailu Gabre Kristos

After the burial of
A neighbourhood child
I stayed in the cemetery
Where lash grasses, trees
And weeds grow wild.
Out of curiosity,
Inscriptions on
Headstones
I began to read.
At the height of
Her girlhood
To her parents' grief
A lass cut brief.

I noticed as runs
The adage
“Drinking one's cup
To the last dregs”
Few had passed away
At a full ripe age,
Some had ceased to be
Of natural cause
While Others
From the challenges
Life is sure to pose.

Reading, I went deep
Into the quiet wood
As far as I could.

A pregnant woman
Hit by a car
A man shot dead
In a bar!

The clamour of
The silence
Nudged me
While I still have
The license,
Repentant, my sins
I have to confess.

Then I heard from right and left
'Had we been in your feet
We wouldn't waste a minute! '
'Your sins get rid of it'
'Do it! '
'Wash it! '
'Before God
You have to stand neat! '

'While in full harness
Sins ablution
Is what must come
To your attention!
Don't wait for
Days of retribution! ”

Outside, I began my wits
To gather
To make an open breast of
My sins to
My confessing father!
What I felt after staying a bit in a cemetery
#death #sins #confession #cemetery #ablution