A quiet voice whispered
So faint it might have been carried on an autumn breeze
Even as the winter of tyranny
Drove life into dormancy
Defiantly and resolutely
The voice would not be silenced
The threat was not to be mistaken
Ever present and clear as a summer day
It was in the face of such great evil
That one voice was joined by others
Whispers became shouts
Calls for justice and humanity to return
That decency might be restored
And with it the soul which had been trampled upon
Then all at once the voices were silenced
Not because courage waned or wavered
But rather that the price of standing up
Was deemed a price worth paying
Standing up for those held down
Speaking for those who could speak no more
Though time has passed and seasons change
If we stood still and listened closely
Their voices still call to us
That never should a moment pass
That those who can speak should
And not be shamed or bowed into silence
For each word of truth spoken liberally
Is no less than a seed planted
So when this winter gives way to the spring of truth and reason
From the seed once more shall grow the White Rose