a moment of silence

monday a week ago
the explosion that instantly ended 29 lives
and changed everything for so many more

the moment observed by silence
throughout the state at 3:30 this afternoon

flags have been at half mast all week
banners for the families have been available to sign
collections have been taken up
funerals have begun

and still nine bodies remain unrecovered
from upper big branch mine

the sun continues to shine
and the birds know not how to hold their tongues

I remember the feeling after loosing someone we loved...
shouldn't it all just stop...
how can the world just keep on going on...
don't they know it's the end of the world?!?!

and yet in that very fact
that somehow the world kept on keeping on...
we too managed to keep on...
day by day...

I remember hearing the wife of Captain Husband,
one of the astronauts killed
in the space shuttle explosion...
speak
about enduring such a public death
that it made it that much more difficult

I thought it would be just the opposite
to be so surrounded by support
sharing grief together
everyone knowing and aware of what you experienced

even though no one could ever exprerience it as individually and intimately as she did

I think of our neighbor
who died March 20th
alone
and except for his little handful of family...
unnoticed and unobserved
unshared
no national observance of half masts
no moment of silence

I think I would much rather have the world keep from spinning...
even if only for a moment
everyone stop
for
someone lived
and now they have gone away...