Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy called for residents of his state to observe a moment of silence and ringing of bells at 9:30 a.m. today to mark a week since a 20-year-old gunman killed his mother and then stormed Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, where he shot to death 20 children and six adults before killing himself.

Here is my poem to honor those lost….

Memories

They come around the corner of my day.
The memories.
And there you are.
Miles of memories, placed end to end
that stretch across the landscape of my years.
Good times merge with sad
and both survive.
Yesterday is now
never dying only changing form.
Memories of moments and memories full-length,
the sound of your voice, the rich laughter,
the smile, the way you say my name.
The stories, the holidays, the wisdom, the fun.
Now, what is, isn’t
But what was, will always be.
The memories.
And there you are.
And every time you greet me with love.

— by Jama Kehoe Bigger