Staying quiet would be murder
(See: a denial of your self)
& how could you do such a thing
Refusing yourself would be a rebuttal of others
& you know the desperation
How those like you need the hope
Like they need the blood in their veins: pumping
(See: a will, see: a life force
See: the only means to exist)
Your story, a mirror of others
How could you deny them the chance to see it
& to see themselves reflected in you
You used to dream of having such an expression
A looking-glass showing not just your face
But something other, something beautiful
(See: a dream of selfhood more profound)
& through that mirror: a portal
Bringing understanding: if this manifestation of something
So similar to your self can be such a sight
Maybe you are worthy of existence too
(See: showing up, see: representation as reflection
See: a portrayal of those like you)
This blood is not a tainted thing
It is all that keeps us alive
(See: a necessary heartbeat)
Brokenness does not live within you
Neither does sin, nor an invisible reflection
You are not a void looking in the mirror:
You are an embodiment of light
& the core of hope that sustains you
& brings light to others, in their imagined fractures
With a sheet over the mirror &
Stitches in your mouth
(See: a scream in silence to prevent disturbance)
It would not be muffled protection
But an outright decimation of being
Your silence will not protect you
But your words & embodiment of existence
Will bring visibility to your presence
Will cause you to live: truly & exactly
(See: freedom, see: a rejection of extinction
See: an ability to be, see:
Life, beautiful life)
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Canary word: Present
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The title of this poem is inspired by the Silence=Death project of the 1980s and the line "your silence will not protect you" is taken from the 1977 speech The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action by Audre Lorde. I highly recommend you read the speech, and that you also check out the linked article about Silence=Death :)