Silent Shadows Poem by Marta Xoxx

(I wrote this poem for the Royal Canadian Legion Annual Literary Competition for Remembrance Day. I ended up getting second place in the district.)


History
sheds tears of bloody sacrifice,
as I gaze up to the past.
The eyes that had a sparkle
now glare upon their medals...
Yet their bruises heal,
but the pain remains the same.

Nodoby could endure the memories
that had kept them
so afraid
without experiencing the sores
carved out on the soldier's skin.

But even deeper are the scars
the memories left behind...
Still lurking behind the smile
one doesn't fear
or know
what a little word called war
hides in the silent shadows.