Speak.
How many people have tried
to
speak
and have failed?
Whether it's because they're bound--
Held,
tied,
screaming beneath the gag
Of society, of war, of the pressure
Of guns behind their backs and the heat of their homes being set on fire?
Or because they are afraid, so they sit still--
Perfect
little
obedient porcelain statues
Speak behind their hands so that no one will hear them,
Go to sleep praying that things will pick up and change on their own.
Or, even worse, because they won't--
Because they have
given up
before
trying.
They turn a blind eye to the world around them,
Stay in their homes, the eye of the hurricane
Safe, warm, happy--
No, not happy.
Complaining.
About everything.
They use their voices to whine, to wheedle
More money,
more clothes,
more social media,
While on the other side of the world, on the other side of the street,
Someone is using their voice for more
Food,
clothing,
and shelter.
How many people have tried to speak and have failed?
How many more haven't even tried?
Take the pen in your hand,
Or the keyboard, if that's what you prefer--
Write your thoughts out
The way that the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution,
The way a soldier writes a note telling his family that he loves them,
The way to be heard
You can build a person up
Break them down
Set the world on fire
Or try to douse the flames
You can try to end things
Like hunger, cancer, poverty
You can try to start things
Like movements, love, care for
Someone who has never known
such a thing
But what matters
What really matters Is that you use it.
That beautiful voice--
low, high, medium
Gravelly, or crystal-smooth
Melodic or monotone
On paper or to a person
Speak.
Because so many have tried And failed.
Speak.
Because you can.