No More - Poetry

by Danielle Mund

Just because your voice is louder does not mean you can silence me

Though I am but one voice and my throat grows hoarse

I will continue to shout out in opposition to racism, sexism, poverty shaming, and overall ignorance

There is too much at stake for me to quiet down now

You may tell me that I am too poor to be educated

Or too feminine to be strong

You may criticize me

Sneer and mock my liberal values

Still, your booming voice cannot drown me out

No matter how loud your voice grows, I will not be intimidated nor coerced

Intelligence is not counted in decibels

And rhetoric only proves a weak argument

I am done with the screaming and the intolerance and the ignorance

I will stand no further for the disrespect so blatantly displayed

Neither the hands of my peers nor the hands of superiors can oppress me

I call to arms my fellow rabble-rousers to throw down the shackles that bind us

To speak out against the oppressors and haters

To turn away from the harsh words that attempt to slap us down

Stand tall against the voices that boom and cause the weaker to tremble

Those that oppose us fight with forked tongues and angry minds

Together, we can prove that soft words can outweigh heavy hands and can cool even the most scathing remarks

Danielle Mund, most recently from Oregon, is a junior in the social work program at Champlain College. She is passionate about addressing the multi-dimensional issue of poverty and hopes to become a social justice advocate upon graduating.