And the children stood amongst the rubble
around a tiny screen
on Tik Tok
watching the ode to Hind
happy that someone was sharing their story.
Tik Tok.
where they’d like to restrict
the telling of tales.
When they say
we didn’t speak out
because that fight was not for us,
they forget
that so many of us
find solace in music, books and art
when we feel alone,
forgotten.
While your silence is deafening
the words,
the melodies,
the brush strokes you could use
to tell the tale of those oppressed
and condemn the oppressors
can be a salve so sweet
to weary wounds.
Caia Rose 