Pusillanimity

Keep your head down. The jeers and the shouts surge around me. Waves of scorn batter my ears; my head is throbbing. And my conscience twinges. Keep your head down. Eyes on the ground. My skin seems translucent before their dark eyes. Can they see the corroded frame beneath? The toxicity of lies and disintegration? And do they hate my cowardice? Keep your head down. Eyes on the ground. Don’t make a sound. I am choking on swallowed, saltwater tears. Nine faces swim before me, surrounded by the marching boots. And they are so noble, so strong. Keep your head down. Eyes on the ground. Don’t make a sound. Let your morals drown. Nine dark faces stand against the tide. They stand for hope. Liberty. Justice. Equality. For civil rights. And for human rights. I stand in the swelling crowd, a pale grain of sand in a sea of hatred. And I am silent.