"White Civility" by Taliso, inspired by the victims of the global west.

"I face great injustice-"

my words ring hollow,

lost in the echoes of polite "sorrys" and "thank yous",

drowned beneath the chatter of spring breaks and holiday plans.

I'm engulfed in a bubble of thought- 

Thoughts of the beckoning scent of qahwa at dawn, 

More powerful than any alarm, 

Thoughts of holidays at my grandmother's house- 

every inch of wall held a tale, held a memory- 

Now buried beneath the debris of a fallen home

"You alright, darling?" 

Cold air fills the room in attempt 

to cushion the weight of those empty words.

I try to answer, 

but I'm warned for unsettling the calm,

I whisper,

but it's only ever a conversation between me and the walls. 

I watch as they bid on what is mine,

cultural heirlooms,

passed through time, 

once placed in the care of my grandmother's home,

Now "borrowed" by the Moshe Fullan 

"I need you to help-"

I cling onto the warmth of the crimson that pools, the floor- covering my hands. 

I try a second time, 

"Darling, I don't want to do this, but I'm going to ask you to leave now." 

Darling

The civility-

wielded like a double-edged sword,

a sword that pierces me,

Demanding to silence my voice of reason,

to soften my speech in the face of injustice 

Is it still politeness 

if it's used to mask the brutality of your actions

is it truly civility 

if it silences the oppressed?

What really makes a victim,

truly a victim? 

What colour or creed makes a plea worthy of hearing?