The Silence of Our Friends
They say silence can be more powerful than a thousand words
Or was that pictures? Or puncture made with open swords?
I forgot what they said
That sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me
Or the lack of words thereof — doesn’t that hurt more?
Because in the end silence is a delicacy
A delectable despicable deplorable deterring definitive delicacy
Succulent and syrupy in remarks, powerful and poised
Yet terrifying when there’s no one to stand up for your name
It’s something I’ve lived on, over the years
But we’re people, tall and proud
We don’t bow down to the opinion of the crowd — -
We stand up for what we believe in if it’s right and just,
And if our friends are hurt we make sure they don’t feel their pain in vain — -
Because we’re human and we don’t fear anything
Or do we?
Because I was too busy minding my own business
Too busy pretending I don’t see what I hate seeing every day
Pretending I’m wearing a pair of polarized eclipse sunglasses —
I see the bright side, nice side, the right side of things, and
ignore the dark side, immoral side, the unjust side of things.
Because optimism is key to living life
Without pain and without strife
Even if it means ignoring the plight
Of our friends and of our world having to pay the price
For the deplorable delicacy called silence I keep
But I’m tired of letting them do this alone
To pay the price for me keeping mum
While I sit comfortably in my own chair
As the world fights a war that’s not fair
Because silence is a delicacy I don’t want to eat
And it may be worth a thousand words
Or a picture, or a puncture for that matter
But I don’t want to live my life gazing at pictures
Wondering what will happen
Because we are human and we are strong
And we don’t bow down to the opinion of the crowd —
We stand up for what we believe in if it’s right and just,
And I will too.
