A would-be voice
draws shallow
breaths

from
lungs wrung void
of oxygen.

How can I sing
if you can't breathe?

Will we escape
these tainted airs,

the fumes and flames
of enmity,

step from the smog
of agony,

inhale pure peace
from mountaintops,

revive our sight,

significance,

the unity which once was ours?

Know: silence cannot be a power.

Gather.

Chant
in one vast voice
reverberating this:

our choice

to be heard
past the manic roars
of lies,
of hatred,
chaos,
wars.

Let's never fail to be so bold
to hear our truths and have them told!