A Thousand Goodbyes (Dedicated To All Glbt Victims Of Hate Crimes) Poem by Nick Downer

Set the stage on fire
and watch it burn,
without saying a word,
make sure you're not heard.
the lights fade and die,
but we'll never learn
pulled down by the weight
of a word
that will never be heard.
Another grave in the night,
in a dark alleyway,
they were proud
but we lost
and we're left paying the cost.
Ripped wings
from a butterfly,
it's sailing away
another delicate soul lost,
Pride, at what cost?
The sun will set tomorrow
with another thousand goodbyes,
but if we keep it within
then we'll never win