Screaming with My Indoor Voice
As I look all around,
things sure don’t seem right
But be calm, I’m told
You must be polite
While they laugh at science
and plans that are green,
treating the planet
like an ATM machine
Withdrawing continuously
without a hint of regret
Thinking, like America,
the earth will function in debt
Be polite, they tell us,
don’t shout with the truth
as we steal the future
breath by breath from the youth
Our whispers unheard,
our warnings unheeded
Perhaps raising our voice
is exactly what’s needed
But if I speak too loudly
or with too much force,
it’s dismissed as cranky,
snowflake discourse
While we stand behind
leaders the KKK endorsed
and confirm judges who
fulfilled urges with force
At times such as these
silence can’t be our choice
Will it help if I scream
with my indoor voice?
A "radical" vegan
with the "radical" choice
of choosing compassion
to be my voice
You ask for my calmness
while you pick up your knives
and place your orders
to end their lives
I see violence and suffering
on plate after plate
But if I point it out,
I irritate
I won’t sit in silence
despite your request
as you swallow your victims
and let them digest
A strange definition
of a personal choice
But I’ll try to scream
with my indoor voice
The Christians keep finding
more people to hate
while they brag that this
will make America great
If we don’t see the need
for our voices to rise
then take off the red hat
that’s covering our eyes
My silence may be
the easier choice
but I choose to scream
with my indoor voice
I see ones I love
support causing harm
It’s long past time
to ring the alarm
I can still love you
and not agree with your choice
So I’ll love you while screaming
with my indoor voice
For love and compassion,
for justice and peace,
until all feel safe
when they’re stopped by police
Until our values
align with our choice
We all should be screaming
with our indoor voice
Written September 29, 2019
Artwork in thumbnail by Natasha Dankovich