Spoken names
Frozen in time
Wearing their military service as a
Woven tapestry

We begin as isolated islands in the pews

The names, called out

Energy gathers

The congregation becomes one family in their grief.

As the candles jump and flicker to life
The minister bows his head
One by one we rise to stand
And shakily recite the full names of our loved ones.

Mothers
Fathers

Uncles

Aunts

Cousins

Friends
A brother in the Reserves
All have passed away after serving for our right to live freely.

Finally most fresh and recent, another brother, a casualty of war fifty years later,
The one who holds her heartstrings
A bell chimes after each name spoken
The air is collectively a single held breath
The altar is aglow with candlelight
We run out of candles
Yet not prayers.

We will never forget.
We remember.
We all remember.
I will remember you.
Will you remember me?

Original draft:

Spoken names
Frozen in time
Wearing their military service as a
Uniting thread for all
The congregation is all one family in their grief.

As the candles flame to life
The minister bows his head
One by one we rise to stand
And shakily call out the names of our loved ones.

A mother here
A father there
A brother in the Reserves
All have passed away

Finally most fresh and recent, another brother
The one who holds her heartstrings
A bell chimes after each name spoken
The air is collectively one held breath
The altar becomes aglow with candlelight
We run out of candles
Yet not prayers.

The hope is that we will never forget.
We remember.
We all remember.
I will remember you.
Will you remember me?