Urban Voices

A place for emerging urban Christian poets to be heard

April 27, 2007

Screams of Quietness

lyrics by Douglas C. Eltzroth & Cynthia A. Newland
music by Douglas C. Eltzroth

Trapped in an alley
South of Monroe street
A grocery cart full of old friends
Three dollars in change
A cracked picture frame
Aluminum cans from the bin
Cigarette butts / Styrofoam cups
A newspaper blowin’ in the wind
His bottle alone / Is his telephone
Where he quietly shouts again

CHORUS:
                    Over and over a piercing cry
                    Echoes loud in an unspoken pain
                    Over and over the desperate tries
                    Reaching out in their soundless refrain
                    Can nobody, nobody hear the silence
                    Can nobody, nobody hear the silence
                    Nobody, nobody hears the screams of quietness

Trapped in an alley
South of a memory
Daydreams are full of despair
Caught in her pain
She longs to escape
Afraid of those old metal stairs
That lead to the hall / Where her memory recalls
The hand of a trusted adult
She sits in the filth / Feeling the guilt
Of somebody else’s faults

(chorus)

So many alleys, yes, so many alleys
People are stumbling, something crippled their walk
So many alleys, yes, so many alleys
People are silent something muted their talk

(chorus)

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About this week's authors:

Douglas C. Eltzroth is a songwriter, singer, and storyteller dedicated to the worship of God and the encouragement of His followers. Cynthia A. Newland is a dancer, teacher and choreographer who seeks to pass on an appreciation of dance as a way to worship God. Doug, Cynthia, and their three children personally minister internationally with a number of different groups. Doug and Cynthia are also co-founders and directors of Collage: A Collection of arts and artists.

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Urban Voices Archive

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Urban Voices' purpose is to showcase the work of emerging poets who write about issues of urban life, racial identity, reconciliation and similar themes from a Christian perspective. If you have poetry you would like to submit for possible inclusion on this site, you may send it to info@urban-verses.com. Thanks for reading and writing!