We stand
startled at the sound
of our voices,
not having heard them
in so long,
lulled and cowed and simply worn down
by the loud drone constantly imposed,
passed off as our own,
asserting its message
of fear and division
all through the day and the night
Now we have spoken
and it’s wonderful how the sound
hums in our throats, in our bones,
how we find we have more to say,
how good it feels when others
resonate, corroborate.
So we stand together,
learning how to hear,
learning to be heard.
©Wendy Mulhern
March 26, 2016