They Come Among Us Silently

They Come Among Us Silently 

They come among us silently...
on the News Hour
faces that look out at us... but do not see.

Some are smiling others are serious.
They are 19 and 41.
married and single, sons and daughters,
mothers and fathers.
soldiers and marines.

They come among us silently.
Marching onto our screens to bear witness to their life spent...
Spent for duty
for buddy
Spent for country
for cause.

Spent for us...
whether we asked and cheered...
or turned away.
and jeered

They come among us silently.
Frozen in the moment
Frozen forever without a tomorrow or next week or next year

They are forever 19 or 41.
young and sharp
innocent and hopeful...
They will be forever that image of America
ready and sure.

They come among us silently.
We see a name
an age
a hometown.

Others by that name cannot look through tearless eyes or feel with unbroken hearts.
Others in the hometowns remember touchdowns and dances under the same stars.
Others will miss them everyday...
others not at all.

They come among us silently Asking that we see
we feel
we remember.

They have no wall...
no scared gathering place...
no memorial where flowers are laid
shoulders hugged.

They come among us silently
We watch in silence
as they march across our screens
and our hearts.

Let us watch
And weep
And not forget them.