Keepers of the Small and Sacred

The children do not start the wars

yet they inherit the silence after.

Where laughter once lived,

now echoes learn to whisper.

Small hands clutch memories

instead of toys; lullabies break

beneath the sounds of what was lost.

And still—somewhere inside them,

a flicker refuses to go out,

a softness the world could not take.

So we must be the keepers,

remember them back into wholeness.

(Lucille A Laroche, USA)

Children carry the echoes

of what the world whispers to them,

soft currents moving inward

where their small hearts listen.

We owe them harbors of safety,

places where fear cannot anchor,

where they can breathe again

and remember how to grow.

Equality asks for courage—

a choice to lift the fragile,

to guard the future gently

when the cost is far too high.

© Shannon Scoates 

© Lucille A LaRoche

Shannon Scoates is a Canadian poet and intuitive writer whose work is rooted in nature, mysticism, and channeled guidance. Influenced by childhood storytellers like Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, as well as poets such as Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, E.E. Cummings, W.B. Yeats, Robert Frost, and RR Token author Terry Brooks, she began writing at age ten as a way to express emotion and truth. Shannon is also an energy healer trained in Reiki, colour, sound, and vibrational therapy, and she is passionate about helping women find their voice through writing and spiritual connection. A devoted advocate for children’s literature and animal rights, she carries forward the encouragement of her Grampa and Grama, whose spirit continues to guide her creative path. Her first book is currently in development.