Inspired by a Twitter post…

1
There is a voice

There is a voice
conspicuous by its absence

There is a voice
conspicuous by its absence
from the square
where millions of voices
blend together
in a wall of noise

2
Against a wall of noise
the scream knows
no one will notice

It goes silent

It has other options

3
The scream turns
to more compatible conduits:

The teacher of history
who has lived every bit of it

The painter
whose canvas speaks more volumes
than the Encyclopaedia Britannica

The poet
painting emotion with words

The student
with something to say
finding her voice for the first time

The laborer
exhausted after a long, hard day—
but not finished just yet

The immigrant
escaping lifetimes of hurt

The unseen
alone in plain sight

Seekers all
looking for the truth

Their voices join
harmony and discord
to rise above the noise

The sky opens wide
to accommodate them all

(18 July 2018)