When you stop people from talking

When you close the schools down

When people can’t go to work

And the nation comes to a stop

There is something that’s not right

Something that can’t be explained away

In this age of communication 

There is something wrong if you don’t let 

people communicate

The seeming peace is a mirage

The embers are burning under the logs

Fire can still erupt from those embers

If the conditions are right 

It’s not silence when you cover someone’s mouth

It’s not freedom if you don’t let people talk

November 17th, 2019

Thinking of the people of Iran