(Revised version)
[won second place in Orange County Public Library Teen Poetry Contest 2006 for El Toro Branch Library]
Be silent my dear child; do not squeal nor cry,
for if they detect voices,
then we shall surely die.
So, hush a while longer, do not make a sound.
They'll hear it if you whimper,
and then we'll all be found.
If I could give myself to them that you at least were free
I'd do so in a heartbeat;
my last�if it must be.
So, hush a while longer, find comfort in my arms,
Don�t listen to my breathing,
so frantic it alarms.
In you await our futures, even if we�re dead.
To our memory, be true dear;
remember what we�ve said.
Mice we are in tall grass, awaiting the snake's bite,
with no hope of resistance;
we have no strength to fight.
So, hush a while longer, make not the softest coo,
the cobra passes near, wait�
Thank God! He slinks on through.
Now, hush no more, for you are safe, to breathe, to laugh, to cry�
We will see another day,
together�you and I.