When the Silence Is Deafening

The children cry in the night And all the world is sleeping, And the gangs are fighting Over turf that does not belong to them--- That's when the silence is heard. When a leader splits the country in half, And violence and blood hit the streets And there's no clear path of freedom--- That's when the silence is heard. When freedom is like a punchline, And you're on the street But it's questioned at anytime Where you'll live or die, Because that's when the silence is deafening. Silence is heard when a gun goes off Another life down in a sea of blood Just another life was taken from the hood, Where you'll live or die And you hear the silence is heard. The silence of death is heard loud The panic of lives heard, And the lurking of those sworn to kill proudly That's when the silence is still heard. When we stop the violence in our streets When we stop killing one another Taken the lives of our sisters and brothers, When leaders wake up from their sleep When justice takes off her blindfold And see the injustice in front of them. When the flooding of blood stops, When children can play once more, When the elderly get their respect and honor When soldiers study war no more And that's when the silence can be heard But when? Sept 2017