by Claire Gannon
Claire is a rising junior at North High School in Eau Claire. She loves creative writing and also participates in theater and soccer. Claire read this poem aloud at a March for Our Lives protest in Eau Claire on Saturday, June 11, 2022.
Content warning: Gun violence in schools
Claire says: “I wrote this poem several years ago as a response to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. It vocalizes my hopes for a more peaceful future for our country, and describes how we can achieve that future through creative activism and collaboration to end tragedies like the shooting in Parkland.”
I Can Hear Her
(A Poem for Peace)
—
Her voice
It echoes
I can hear it
She is singing
Chanting
Her words are
Dancing colors
They disrupt the mind
They envelop the heart
If She is singing a sonnet
I do not know it
But I can hear Her swift melodies
Each note is
Dancing
Lithe tunes
Tangled
In an endless, enchanting
Rhythm
But I hear other things
Too
The shouts, the insults
Fiery words grasp for Her voice
They strangle Her melodies;
They are consuming Her voice
Mockery and ridicule
Infect the tranquil sound
There is more
In the distance,
An endless pounding
Like a flash
There
Then gone
Then back again
The gunshots sound
Loud and unforgiving
Ignorant and life-taking
I hear crying
Tears drown out the gunfire
A river of sorrow floods in
The deep mournings
of mothers and
The weeping cries of children
Their cries cannot
Stop
They repeat listlessly
Their cries will always
Remain
Insufferable to
Listen to
Impossible to
Ignore
The hate and despair
Flourish
But listen-
She is still
Singing
The gunshots, the crying-
They will not drown Her out
Her voice
It stills resonates
In a glorious tune
Though weary, carrying the weight
Of injured spirits,
It still
Rings out
Her mystical song
Ignites the soul
And gives the spirit rest
She sings of the past
She sings of how we overcame it
She sings of justice and advocacy
And it sounds
Beautiful
Yes, It is beautiful
I can hear it
Can you?
Can you hear Her?
Another voice joins the anthem
And I close my eyes
And let the voices, united
In perfect harmony
Take me
More voices join
And soon
I can hear a choir
A chorus of vivid songs together
It is even more
Beautiful
Than before
A few notes escape my lips
And I begin
To join the voices
How many of us
Can sing together?
I wonder
There are still shouts of hate
In the silence
Fearful wails
Between our voices
But the hate will flicker away
Like a blown out candle
When we all sing loud enough
We sing of
Righteousness
Service
And world peace
We sing of
Love
And it is stronger than the hate
Our harmonies
Assist the love
They resist the fear
Our voices echo
I can hear us
We are singing
Chanting
Yes, I can hear us
You do not need to know
The words, nor have a rich
Or perfect voice
Just sing
Sing with us
And many voices will
Become one
And many hearts will
Become united
