The silence

So I will never walk again

And you will never speak

Is there not a human that is so weak

That he or she will not strive to overcome

That weakness that into humans seeks

That dark heart and open wound

There screams a mortal hideous sound

That peels the scab from ancient scars

And opens heaven's gate and searing stars

To paven freeways full of empty cars

No sound echoes from this silent ear

Except the emptiness of mortal human fear

— William L. Bellomy Jr.

In lieu of flowers, his family requests that donations be made to The Spinal Cord Injury Project 604 Allison Road, D-251 Piscataway, NJ 08854. Donations can be made online at SCIProject@biology.rutgers.edu. Click on the link "Donate Now."