Slit Gongs

A poem of despair and hope, by Shernaz, exclusively for Different Truths.

my voice
feeble as a whisper
my words – straining
against lies that are a daily staple
limp beside the stupor
of the world plunged in darkness
lost in the cacophony
spreading segregation and sorrow
drowning out the voices
of the sane and the besieged

but

when just and sincere voices  
mingle, they swell as slit gongs  
drumming to the universal conscience;
their rhythmic pulsations thud
to prevail over surrounding madness  
their notes spread an affirming music
of peace and reason and love.
Let us pick up their beats,
commit through our modest efforts
to spread peace. It begins with us.

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths