Noise Against Oppression
Location
What keeps me from slouching
and from staying quiet in the face of giants
what drives my dreams beyond the mundane
and is the step stool that allows me to stare fearlessly into angry eyes
Are those who have lived and passed
in a world worse than mine
who found it in their tongue
to scream, to disrupt even greater giants
so that now, I do not cower
and the giants may become fewer
The noise they made resonates in my throat
gives me precision, certainty in my voice
so I do not flinch
or cry when the giants compel me
Because, one day
we will no longer need to scream
no person will be made to slouch
and only those of the past
will know of the straining times
where we needed to step on stools
and raise our voices to be heard among giants
So, I will never know silence
because I am driven with a soul
that has suffered and persevered
I can live gratefully and proudly
knowing that I own this priceless life
and the giants are not forever