The Observer
By: Don Pax
I said what needed to be said today,
Simple words but hard to say.
The room fell quiet, faces turned away,
From truth, they knew but hid each day.
Now they whisper around the compound,
Point fingers, try to make me fall.
But here’s what hurts me most of all,
They knew the truth, yet chose to cloister.
Yes, speaking up comes with a price,
Some days it feels like rolling dies.
But silence has its cost as well,
A heavier burden, truth to tell.
I’d rather face their angry stares,
Then choke on words I didn’t share.
I’d rather sleep in peace at night,
Then wonder if I did what’s right.
So let them talk and let them frown,
They can’t say what I laid down.
The truth lives now in the open air,
And that’s a weight I’m proud to bear.
Maybe next time someone sees,
How one voice sets other voices free.
Maybe next time they’ll stand too,
And say the words they know are true.
