When Silence Is Guilt

 

Not after the fall, when wreckage lies deep,

But before the first crack, while promises sleep.

We need not the solace of bandages bound,

But guarded horizons, on fertile new ground.

Not tears for the lost, in a sorrowful tide,

But shoulders that lift, with burdens defied.

The scepter of power, in gilded hands rests,

But truth, an untamed wind, still sweeps through our tests.

It whispers on byways, it echoes through stone,

On people's own lands, where its seeds must be sown.

To simply stand waiting, for fate to decide,

Is to forfeit the moment, and with it, our pride.

For the public alone, with a tremor or press,

Holds the pressure plate steady, can break or can bless.

Let rulers decree, with a purpose so grand,

But only if we, the awakened, demand.

The watchful eye, piercing through shadows that creep,

The daring voice, rousing the conscience from sleep.

In silence we wither, our liberties cease,

In speaking, we blossom, our choice brings us peace.

Neglect, when it festers, must never be spared,

No quiet concession, no grievance unshared.

A question thrown forward, like thunder on high,

Is justice dared openly, beneath an clear sky.

For every small fissure, we fail to expose,

May widen to chasms, where destiny goes.

And strike at the heart of the lives that we lead,

A harvest of sorrow, from a perilous seed.

So rise from your slumber! Awake and transcend!

Demand! Defend! From beginning to end!

This duty is ours, a sacred decree,

To forge a just future, for all to be free.

And let no false shepherd, no leader then sleep,

While promises shatter, and destinies weep.

For the cost of our quiet, the price of our plea,

Is the silence of guilt, for eternity.