When the whispers that were once anthems all die out,
now that the madness at the fringe is institutionalized,
will we drown in private penance? Will we shout?
Our freedom was not something devils prized
from our dead hands. No, we gave it away.
We still have a chance, a lesser chance, to win
our freedom back, our honour back, today
and every bleak tomorrow. Seeing sin
for what it is – a bully and a coward –
is the first step to redemption, to the goal
of living in a world we want. Keep marching forward.
Madness feeds on madness and we’ll be leaving
our better selves behind us in the cold
unless we organise and stop mute grieving.
Earth Tourist 
Well said, Alan. You know me long enough to know I don’t generally go on about political issues, but the Trump madness has forced me to speak up and voice my grievances. I still don’t want to and the whole situation makes me terribly sad, but I push myself because I hear my father’s voice in my head reminding me of what he saw in pre-war Germany and how he fought so that would never happen again. If at 14 he could stand and be beaten for refusing to salute the Nazi flag, the least I can do is speak up against this current madness. I am my father’s daughter and it would be dishonorable not to.
Thank you for your response, Elise. Your father’s example is important for us all.
Though my father received medals from his service in WWII, he never thought of himself as a hero, but he always was (and will ever be) a hero in my eyes for so many reasons. The world would be a much better place if there were more like him in it.