Twenty Years Ago Poem by Rachel Brewer

In a town, not far from where you are now,
There is a river.
That river runs by a town,
And that town has a population of about one hundred.

Twenty years ago,
It all fell apart.
Twenty years ago,
Time stood still.

And every year, on the same day,
Time stands still once more.

The tears that fell on that day were unimaginable.
The loss could be felt for miles,
And the darkness would not lift for years.
Fifty-four people were buried.

We said goodbye to each of them in turn,
To our mothers and fathers,
To our brothers and sisters,
And to our friends.

All taken from us too soon, unfairly.
Half of our town had vanished.

We ring a bell.
To make sure they know we think of them.
We ring a bell.
So that we will never forget.

The tears that ran as surely as the river,
Still fall onto the graves of those departed.
But the love they knew will never die.
In our minds, our hearts, our souls.

They are with us.
For now and always.