Pain and grief walk the night air

Pain and grief walk the night air

And he stalks with pride cocky and full of himself

I can and I will he says because I can and so I will and who do you think will listen to you

I do I say I’m listening

Hurt and shame eddy on the moving air

He struts with puffed chest

I can do whatever I want to you that’s what you’re made for because I’m bigger and stronger take that take that take that take that shut up and take it who do you think cares about YOU

I care I say I care about you

What do you think you can do about it I have needs and I have rights and you don’t so who do you think can help you or would even want to

I want to I say I want to help you

Tears and defeat silently strike raw earth

Taunting strident he laughs out loud

Gotcha exactly where I want you don’t I and nobody even knows and who would lift a finger even if they did know

I know I say I will lift a finger and point it at you

Fire and ash fill broad daylight and nobody sees

I am strong strong strong he says and you you are nothing nothing nothing except for me to use and who even cares

I see the fire and ash I say I care you are not nothing you are not for anyone’s use except for your own

Silence and more silence and more silence

Do you hear that he says do you hear it that’s the silence of nobody saying a word so that makes me right and you wrong do you hear me I am right and you are wrong

I am saying a word I say I am saying no

You want to cry out don’t bother there’s nobody there who will listen to you nobody to hear don’t you dare don’t you dare don’t you dare don’t you dare I can squish you like a bug and nobody will care enough to notice

I am listening I say I hear and I notice and I care

And I will dare

I will dare

I will dare

To cry out

I say no

Do you hear that

No

No

No

No

You are wrong I say you are wrong you are wrong

You do not have the right I say you are not in the right

No

No

No

No

You have not the right to dispense pain and grief

You have not the right to cause hurt and shame

You are wrong to strut among tears and defeat of your own wreaking

I will dare to cry out amid the fire and ash swirling through the day and the silence will be broken

One little voice at a time perhaps

One little bit of caring

One at a time

One at a time

One and then another and another and another

Small but persistent

One by one

May become two by two by four by four by eight by eight by ten by ten

One at a time

See the fire and ash in the silence

Hear the unspoken cry

Speak whether the words are heard or not

Lift a finger, a hand, a voice

And say I care

And say I dare

One little voice at a time saying no no no no no you cannot do that

Because I see

Because I hear

Because I speak

Because I with my one little voice say that I care

Because I with my one little voice say that I dare

And my own one little voice is but one little voice

You really think my one little voice is the only one?

Who do you think you’re kidding besides yourself?

The one little voices will one day speak together and we will tell you no no no no no no

And maybe then you will listen.

If not, still the silence you have counted on is no longer all the way silent

Ha he says I am strong strong strong and you are wrong wrong wrong

Ah you are perhaps strong but I am not wrong you are the wrong one

It is not wrong to be strong but it is wrong to use strong for wrong

You will hear my one little voice and get a chuckle out of it because you are strong and what is one little voice but something to chuckle at and mock and ignore

But still I will use my one little voice

I will use it to tell you no no no no no no no no

It is all I have this one little voice

But it is mine to use as I choose

And I choose to say no

With this my one little voice

One by one by one

The silence is no longer quite all the way silent, is it?