AUDIO LINK: https://archive.org/details/2024-05-17-poemthe-worst-thing
“the worst thing”
it’s not the actual violence,
the worst thing…
it’s the silence
of those who professed they’d fight
for the rights of all, they’d always
speak up, speak out
for the downtrodden and oppressed.
You were vocal for years,
but now your tongue lies bleeding
like every heart should
for the tragedy unfolding before our eyes.
Where has your voice gone?
Where is your outrage? Your compassion
for those still suffering
a loss we cannot fathom?
We’ve seen this happen before,
know that less than a century ago,
in a land not unlike our own,
ruddy youth in brown shirts,
schooled in the rules of hate,
goosestepped over broken glass
and a new underclass
while the many stood by
in silent complicity.
But we got it wrong.
We are not doomed to repeat
the history we don’t know.
We are
if we ignore it.
It’s not complicated.
There is good, and there is evil.
If you witness in silence now,
you’re on the wrong side.
*Inspired by the appalling silence of previously vocal members of the poetry community who have said nothing about rising antisemitism, or worse–defended those who perpetrate it.
*If you’d like to read about my progress and plans this year, as well as craft tips, you can subscribe to my Patreon and support my work for just $1 a month. Until next time, stay safe and well, and read often.
Cat Russell 