Rise Up, Day 8

In this day and age,
We must be the exceptional.
To sit back, to remain
Comfortable and safe in our brick houses,
Keeping silent out of fear
Of awkwardness at parties
Or embarrassing ourselves in front of our boss,
Closing the curtains against the maelstrom
Of political rhetoric and posturing,
Such banal inaction is cowardice,
Inhuman and inhumane,
As families are torn apart,
Careers and lives are ruined,
And martyrs for our cause are sent back
To the oppressive nations they fought to save,
Only to die.
In this day and age,
To be human, we must be heroes,
Defiant of those in power,
Refusing to accept dictates and decrees
As the laws by which we will live,
Because others cannot.
However slight, we are obligated
By common humanity
To resist.