Oh comrades!
Look what has been done to us
The “news” reports of crime
the ever-broadcast warnings
so far more frequent
than the actual events
inculcate, with alarm, their daily message:
“Fear your neighbor
Fear the foreigners — they hate you
Fear the poor — they want your stuff
Fear everything that’s not controlled by Us”
Other voices of “authority” chime in:
“Fear your body
Fear your inner voices
Fear your desires, distrust your heart’s choices
Look to us for your allotted goodness,
the very little you deserve.”
Comrades! Look what these words
have done to us
They’ve taken even this —
The names we had for fellowship —
Made them evil
But we can overcome and stand together
Conquer each internal fear
Engage our courage
with small displays of unity
Build up our trust
for each other, for ourselves
and for our goodness
We shall overcome
because we must.
©Wendy Mulhern
October 23, 2012
*From From Dictatorship to Democracy, by Gene Sharp
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