"Voice"

[xkhalipha]

Can we afford to stay silent?

In silence we suffer,
Relinquishing our lives in
Quiet consent.
Prisoners bound behind the bars of our own tied tongues.
Turning over our essence
To those who would mold
Your speech
To parrot theirs,
Mimiced metaphors from manipulated minds,
A vile mockery of
Voice.

So,
Can we afford to stay silent?

I hear the ghost-whispers,
Echoes and visions from voices long past,
A reminder to
Wade waist-deep in
Battered bodies,
Casualties in the war
To speak out,
To counter-act
Falsity forged upon forked tongues.

So,
Can we afford to stay silent?

Bifurcated interpretations,
One squelched,
One disseminated in stealth,
Adopted as principle
Unless we redress the source.

So,
Can we afford to stay silent?

No,
Use Your Voice.

27th of October, 2004
-Keyon Shokraie-