Freedom of Speech
A whisper, a shout, a silent scream,
words flung like stones, or cradled like fragile doves,
a torrent unleashed, or a trickle suppressed.
The air vibrates, a battlefield of ideas,
where truth and falsehood clash, where passion ignites,
where the uncomfortable dares to speak.
A right enshrined, a fragile shield,
against the tyranny of silence, the iron fist of control,
a promise whispered in ink, a covenant etched in law.
But where does the line blur, where does the freedom fray?
When words become weapons, when hate masquerades as truth,
when the tongue becomes a venomous serpent?
The echo chamber, a fortress of self-affirmation,
where dissent is banished, where the other is demonized,
where the truth becomes a casualty of tribal loyalty.
The silenced voice, a ghost in the machine,
a whisper lost in the roar of the crowd,
a question unanswered, a story untold.
Is it a sacred right, an inviolable truth,
or a dangerous weapon, a double-edged sword,
capable of both liberation and destruction?
The weight of words, a burden and a blessing,
a power to build, a power to destroy,
a responsibility we cannot escape.
What truths are worth the risk, what words demand to be heard?
And in the cacophony of voices, how do we discern,
the signal from the noise, the wisdom from the rage?
©bfa032625
Copyright ©
Bernard F. Asuncion
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