Scout E.S. in the Shadows

Smooth slopes to travel down For the dripping tears rarely released My blank face in its reflection Dumbfounded by her reaction To my question She turns around To hide what you can see in her eyes The image of her sons, brothers, fathers, and uncles Wrapped in white cloth By the thousands In her choked cries I hear their voices before they become a memory   Smooth slopes to travel down For the people who ignore her tears For the people who ignore the men wrapped by the thousands In her voice, I think back, they weren’t the grunts of men They were laughs of children Cries of newborn babies Wrap yourself in warm white clothes Don’t forget that your position Is a privilege   Smooth slopes to travel down For my tears when I’m alone Not created by the thousands of wrapped bodies But by the turning of their cheeks At the sight of a people’s disappearance   Smooth slopes to travel down For people who think souls aren’t ...