The Rubbing
I came to the wall late last night
There stood two policeman in the sentinel light
The lights were shining bright on that wall
The moon and the wind stood in awe
I look at the names, Santos, Dunn and Moore
Those were some of the names who answered the call
That freedom and liberty were never out of site
For they had answered the call and paid the price
Old glory at half mast, she held her position
In respect for all those names that held the Americans tradition...
Duty - Honor - Country
I saw all their names and I said to myself, what a shame, what could have been?
What has been lost?
The lives, the memories, the families
All gone now, but the rubbing of the wall
As the Wall stands long and tall, a misty rain begins to fall
I see natures tear running down the wall
It may be some mother, father, sister, brother, husband
Wife, son, daughteer, niece or nephew
What have they lost? There is no joy - there is no pain
Only numbness of the age old question. Why?
On that wall stood a future doctor, lawyer, farmer, teacher and much more
From small towns and large cities
When will we learn that guns don't make peace, but love and understanding
We cannot bring them back
I saw flowers, hats, flags and pins
And I ask myself, where havw we been?
The rain has stopped, the sun has come up
An elderly gentleman is now at the wall
He tells me the wall is real, when you do a rubbing, the names become alive
It awakens your memories - if just for a moment you bring them back
You want to hold and feel them
The smile, the laugh, the joy, the parties, the graduation, the wedding, the Christening.
All the anger that has been locked up, is now released
Because of our love and beliefs we know they are at peace
The Wall is more than a name on a stone
It was the lives that held the promise that Freedom Lives.
copyright H. Joseph Watts
May 17, 1996