Words
Not enough
Not louder than the manifestos they write
Or the bold letters they paint on posters
Not louder than the hate speeches
Or the concealed microaggressions
Not louder than the headlines
Or the slogans
Tears
Not enough
Not thicker than the blood that they shed
Or the telephone wires they cut in half
Not thicker than the oil they spill
Or the melted ice caps
Not thicker than bullets
Or tear gas
Pain
Not enough
Not deeper than the family bond they break
Or the holes they drill into our soil
Not deeper than the bullet wounds
Or the sea that keeps growing
Not deeper than their pride
Or their prejudice
Words, tears and pain
Presented on a thin, shallow screen
Fragmented jigsaw humanity
Compassion, the new scarce commodity
Our hearts turn to ice as temperatures rise
But these pixels can appease your sore eyes
But do nothing more
For these words, tears and pain
Are just pixels
On a little screen