Silence
/I prefer silence
when people attempt to fire
our harmonious dome of integration
with the splinters of racial, religious conflict.
I lean towards silence
when people try to break
the tune of love and fraternity
with the string of betrayal and vulgarity.
I incline to silence
when people endeavor to blur
the clean stream of service and profession
with the mud of fraudulence.
I prioritize silence
when people seek to dismantle
the rosary of friends and family
with the stink of abuses.
My silence is not an indication of surrender
but a denouncement of vices and malpractices.
By Bimal Kishore Shrivastwa
From: Nepal