Yes we must converse
When conversation has few takers
Should the noise of resolute unconcern
Deter, speak with the flower pot
Or the wall; they respond with
Steady listening and never fail
To send back vibes for a soulful tale.
Yes we must smile when there is
Little to smile about.
An inward smile helps conquer
Crassness and terrified doubt.
Yes, in spiritual defiance,
We must push aside instruments
That monotone gods invent
For our sopoforic silence.
Yes we must draw human sense
From the dog who nods
His sentient head or wags his tail
To a gesture not understood by men or gods.
Yes, when the pall of undifferentiated
Tyranny seals our souls,
We must, like fools
Of tenderness and clowns of truth
Laugh inebriated in the face
Of swagger and assassination,
And vanquish pitiful authority
With the self-knowledge
Of an elation that befuddles
Diktat, harangue, cruelty.
Yes, we must celebrate most
When joy is least at hand.
Yes, we must insist when insistence
Is perilous to the monotone of command.
Yes, however the seasons change,
We must keep coming back like the grass
That no boulder may contain.
Yes, we must remember that when
The heat of death kills the savannah,
Many animals remain.
Yes, we must remember that when nobody
Is responding, there is always someone
On the other side who is not responding.
Yes, we must make that screaming silence
The renewed source of our bonding.
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