I had a voice, loud and strong
I had an opinion, proud and sound
Then, they started appearing
The trolls, with words so wrong
I gave it a fight until I could not
I didn’t have it in me – to commit
To belligerent, infinite explaining
To shove for a place in the medley
I muted myself, all thoughts shelved
I had nothing more to perceive
No more breaking news to see
It didn’t matter to me who prevailed
Or whose entire world derailed
For no one cared enough to listen
To what the sane had to convey
The stark beauty of silence
When only the eyes speak
Sometimes burning
As the lonely log
In an ashen fireplace
Sometimes cold
Like the winter snow
Only to be swept away
Suppress them not
Let them ebb and flow
Opinions, notions, emotions
Break the shackles
That bind you to silence
With anchored inhibitions;
In thoughts, voices, words
Our world is made, unmade
In never-ending cycles
A constant alchemy of change.
Last year, I blocked a few people on social media and exited WhatsApp groups due to differences in opinions. Well, not exactly that because different thoughts are enlightening, but due to trolling. Harsh words, bigotry, and bias were the hallmark of these discussions.
Needless to say, even these people must be relieved to have me exit from the group because now no one could challenge their point of view. We all love to believe we are right and our ideology is the best. Fair enough, but then why troll and abuse diverse ideologies. At that point in time, I wrote Trolled into Silence.
Over time, the situation has only worsened. Polarization, in almost all aspects of life, has manifested in crude ways. It is a global phenomenon. Innocent banter and sarcasm are also frowned upon because everyone is oversensitive. The cherry on the top is fear of the repercussions of speaking out.
Continue reading “Who will speak?”These words keep ringing in my mind. There is so much going around us but we are afraid to speak up.
Screaming into the void
Like lunatics caged, gagged
Muzzled emotions, numbed
Trolled for spoken words
Sounds buried in the head
Sane voices, now long dead
Victim to resounding fear!
How to silence the howls
Raging, trapped in the mind
Injustice bellows, how to find
Respite, refuge from wounds
Growing like sepsis, unheeded
Gasping for breathe, unheard
Mauled into total surrender.
The sound of silence
Consumes the infinite
Clamouring voices in my head
I stare at the blank wall
Waiting for an apparition
To accuse me of murdering it!
Blue Pen Strokes 