We lock ourselves in happy prisons,
And keep to those with similar crimes.
We plaster up the windows
And soundproof the walls,
No reason to engage with the outside.
And even when the shutters open,
Our eyes close to the light,
The light that exposes
our ignorance,
To the reality of many other lives:
To the suffocating smoke from burning forests,
And the families torn apart by war,
The young girls chained to wedding vows
And the chorus of starving children’s calls.
7.5 billion humans walk this planet,
None of us the same.
Some of us have been here for decades,
Others just arrived,
Some are men,
Some are women,
And some are what they feel is right.
But together we are one race;
Our differences don’t make a difference.
We will not be defined by our gender,
By our religion,
The colour of our skin,
Our history or
Our capabilities.
In our hearts our mission is shared,
And these distinctions are not a barrier,
or a wall.
They should not segregate us,
But celebrate us,
And build a stronger opposition to our troubles.
In extinguishing the forests’ flames
So they can pass their wisdom to the future,
In welcoming those in need of aid
With open arms to their values and their culture.
In loosening the shackles of injustice
And protecting every worker’s rights,
But more importantly than anything,
In opening our doors and our minds.
We cannot live in darkness,
When there’s a world worth saving in our sights.
Together, we can chase the freedoms
On the horizon
And all you have to do
Is turn on the light.
Dec 18, 2019
Dec 18, 2019 at 4:58 AM UTC
We lock ourselves in happy prisons,
And keep to those with similar crimes.
We plaster up the windows
And soundproof the walls,
No reason to engage with the outside.
And even when the shutters open,
Our eyes close to the light,
The light that exposes
our ignorance,
To the reality of many other lives:
To the suffocating smoke from burning forests,
And the families torn apart by war,
The young girls chained to wedding vows
And the chorus of starving children’s calls.
7.5 billion humans walk this planet,
None of us the same.
Some of us have been here for decades,
Others just arrived,
Some are men,
Some are women,
And some are what they feel is right.
But together we are one race;
Our differences don’t make a difference.
We will not be defined by our gender,
By our religion,
The colour of our skin,
Our history or
Our capabilities.
In our hearts our mission is shared,
And these distinctions are not a barrier,
or a wall.
They should not segregate us,
But celebrate us,
And build a stronger opposition to our troubles.
In extinguishing the forests’ flames
So they can pass their wisdom to the future,
In welcoming those in need of aid
With open arms to their values and their culture.
In loosening the shackles of injustice
And protecting every worker’s rights,
But more importantly than anything,
In opening our doors and our minds.
We cannot live in darkness,
When there’s a world worth saving in our sights.
Together, we can chase the freedoms
On the horizon
And all you have to do
Is turn on the light.
A poem I wrote with a friend for our school's Amnesty Society :)
