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