In the growing dark we stood on the courthouse steps
with our candles lit and our voices soft and we sang,
Hold on, hold on, my dear ones, here comes the dawn.
And as we sang, someone read the names of those who died
in the custody of ICE or were killed by ICE. Tien Xuan Phan.
Isidro Perez. Johnny Noviello. Jesus Molina-Veya. We sang
and in the crowd someone raised high a sign with the name
of each person handwritten in silver. Heber Sanchaz Dominguez.
Victor Manuel Diaz. Parady La. With every silver name,
the notes stuck in my throat like coal, as if trapped there,
wedged with thick ache for each human, their families.
Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz. Luis Gustavo Nune Cacéres.
Geraldo Lunas Campos. And every note that stuck wrestled
itself free to vibrate in the air with all other voices far and near
who were singing, Hold on, hold on. Nenko Stanev Gantchev.
Delvin Francisco Rodrigeuz. Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir.
My dear ones. Here comes the dawn. And the names went on.
And the names went on. And we sang. And we sang. Because
singing brings us closer, creates warmth and communion
where there was none. Because the dawn has not come.
Because these were daughters and mothers and brothers
and sons. Renee Nicole Good. Alex Pretti. Keith Porter.
We sang. We sang because they are more than names.
We sang. Through our tears. All together. We sang.
*Lyric and music by Heidi Wilson. For sheet music and audio, visit Heidi’s Patreon site.
Thank you for the singing and crying, remembering and honoring all those people who are, as you beautifully say, “more than names.”
And they heard you – those souls felt that love, felt your grief, heard that song.
Oh Heidi–somehow I believe this–that the energy that is song, the energy that is all life, it reverberates …
Gratitude for this beautiful requiem Rosemerry. xoxo
Oh Janice, oh the human heart–all the ache, all the beauty. Thank you for meeting me here in this place again and again with poems.
Thank you for your vigil, because the tears keep flowing and the deaths keep occurring. We keep our vigils because life is precious, we are all connected and yet still wonder, how much longer will this evil continue?
Because life is precious. Because compassion. Because it matters … the vigils feel so important. Hugs to you, Linda
In the Arabic countries there were women forbidden even to sing in public. They gathered outside the prisons and danced silently instead.
I can’t believe they haven’t tried to forbid singing yet!
Oh, they have. There are Arabic nations in which women are permitted neither to sing nor speak in public. Ever.
This is so upsetting to me the more I think of it. And I am wondering when they might try that here.
Got that right. Let’s fully enjoy what we have while we have it. Oh, that’s right ~ you’re psst mistress of the joy of the moment!… 🥳
Thank you for joining me in the joy of the moment …
🙏🌟🌞👌
And we can add Dr. Linda Davis of Savannah, GA who died yesterday.
thank you for adding this name.