Reduced to Silence
In a world where you have to watch your back
Unable to tell friend from foe
Tiptoeing around the big issues
Until you are sure it’s safe
To let your guard down
The easier path is to simply shut up.
And in our silence our isolation grows.
When you get censored, or censor others
You also start to censor yourself
Not wanting to make waves
Destroy relationships, threaten jobs and reputations.
And when you censor yourself
Pretty soon you don’t even think anymore
Outside the box, with its velvet padded lining.
Pretty soon the world we live - in and out -
Is reduced to silence
And then it doesn’t matter much
What the box is lined in.
(10/16/25)
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