Words seldom dare to take flight,

On the wings of my voice,

They hide away in notebooks

Echoing in the shadows

–

In the quiet they thrive

With brave and bright colors

Reclaiming the years

Swallowed whole by sorrow

–

I sing them out loud

In the encircling storms,

In the dry and brown swathes

Of drought and decay

–

When I’m paces from slumber

Will they ring out the truth,

For every fighting heart

Trapped in fear and fury?