silence, a deadly virus

We do not know how to talk;

To ourselves and to each other,

We never object to anything, for

Events and issues seem like a mile away,

Thus, we keep quiet, lest we falter,

For silence is golden, we’re taught.

Individuals, organisations and governments,

They mine favourable coverage from us–

We succumb, because we’ve been bought,

Our souls, privatised for profit making,

Has inflicted a soft self-censorship wound,

Infectiously contaminating diversity.

Violence, harassment, and intimidation;

To those who dare speak out, none is secure.

Like a newsletter, our media has become,

The airwaves, filled with one sided views,

Featuring indoctrinatory and scheming stories,

Fed to us like dogs on leashes.

O, how we long for truth and freedom;

Our courage has waned and we are afraid,

We hesitate to challenge our patrons,

And the quiet, has strangled our tongues,

Unleashing stutters at diverse opinions;

For the good men refused to nothing.

Our minds, scorched from thoughtlessness,

Cling hysterically to a kowtowing chorus.

Our throats are parched, from inactivity;

And we’re afraid to engage in conversations.

Freedom of speech has lost its connotation,

Because we refrain from freedom of thought.

What vacuum has our silence caused?

Extremism, radicalism and fanaticism;

Leaving in its trail betrayal, treachery and regrets,

Why? Because, we didn’t raise our voice;

In the face of problems and atrocities,

Silence rained, its dark clouds misted our senses.

Silence, the deadliest virus has awoken;

It withers the tongue and shrivels the lips,

Its symptoms, correctness on the planes of

Politics, economics, religion and society,

Who can escape this plague?

When words have become fugitives.