silence

shhh... silence.

don't you hear the hearts screaming?

silence. please.

listen to my bellowing voice.

your machine guns and blaring tanks 

are deafening the soulful calls.

your boundaries and no man's lands

have divided us so far 

that we cannot hear each other anymore.

silence, please. 

listen to the rustling leaves,

the coloring of the rainbows,

and the pitter patter of the rain

on your terrace

that's silently sweeping away your dog's shit.

listen to the white snow, yellow sun,

high standing mountains and 

far-reaching oceans whispering.

please. 

enough of the ear-splitting noises 

of muffled screams, pleaded mercies,

rattled bones and burnt flesh.

silence. patience. listen. 

listen to all the fresh starts

over the din of war cries.

listen to the dawn breaking on the near horizon

over the dead and buried victory proclamations.

please. quiet. don't you hear me?

don't you hear me appealing to your inner voices,

telling you to overlook your hatred?

don't you hear me spading your dead humaneness,

watering your flesh-turned-cold hearts?

don't you hear me shouting bloody murder

to stop you murdering each bloody other?

stop. be still. listen. please.

i cannot shout anymore.

- Gayathri Tamilselvan

April 02