When we don’t know what to say, art can speak for us. This painting was done by Kelli Broussard Kaufman. She’s a Lafayette artist I follow on Facebook. (Her parents are good friends and neighbors.) I asked her permission to post the image here, and she also told me about her process. Her playlist while painting included Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence. Her art, the song, and her process notes inspired this poem.
In the sound of silence,
we think no one cares.
The words have all been said.
Prayers are empty now.Silence like a cancer grows.
The wax burns, drips, soils
the flag we want to save us.
How many more?In the naked light I saw
a flicker of candles in the wind
drawing strength from one another
burning bright and singing out–This is not who we are.
This is not our story.
We are one people.
We are better than this.(draft) Margaret Simon
Reflections on the Teche 