Silence in Our Time
Silence in Our Time
By John Divinagracia
“In a Web of numbers, there are words read and speeches spoken.
Amidst the roar of the day, fools and kings praise their thoughts,
Within the whispers of the night, hegemons and hermits dance in song,
And yet there is silence.
Of a future made real, man may speak in freedom,
In jest,
In absolution,
Enraged,
Or embraced.
To speak in the words of severe civility,
To speak in rhymes and rhythms in the chorus of machines,
To read the commandments of millions,
Edicts and odes hanging on walls and shelves,
And yet, in here, there is silence.
Belonging to an era of governance and union,
Of possibility and problems,
With lies and truths,
All ideas of the world are given.
All the laws of any land are decreed,
And yet there is silence.
For in the multitudes of individuals,
Amongst the masses faceless of identity,
Sans uniqueness,
Sans bravery,
Sans understanding,
All speak in silence.
Conscience is mute.
Virtue and Justice are blind.
Common people lack common sense.
And in the silence in our time,
Only we may speak the truths of matters to the people,
Speak dilemmas and bestow solutions to the world that is mute,
Blind,
Lacking,
Helpless,
Only to speak in silence.
Let us share our dreams through words,
Through books,
Through mouths,
Through visions and dreams.
Let us bring from the void of nothingness the answers to our existence,
Perhaps in the form of fantasy,
Maybe in the image of science fiction,
Possibly in the shape of biographies,
But definitely in the visage of truth.
Let us break the silence with the roars of the day and the whispers of the night.
Let us say “Lo and Behold…” and speak our thoughts, and speak our names in false identities,
Our problems in our homes,
Our solutions to find solace.
Make these words into novels,
Read them as classics,
Film them into movies,
But always, always, always break the silence with your voice,
And when together, sing it in harmony,
And when alone, say it alone.
Let us, in our time, end the silence.
Yet, in the end of your words,
Since there will be enough words to be said,
Leave our time again in silence.”