Little by little
The water boils
Little by little
The frog is cooked
We pretend we don’t notice
That the laws are changed
That rights are removed
And liberty ends
We refuse to see how religion is used
And God’s name is taken in vain
To denounce those on the margins
And weaken those with no power
Like those before us
We turn up the music to cover the sounds of the trains
We spray air freshener to mask the smell of the smoke
We deny responsibility because it isn’t us
Our fears are used as an excuse
To condemn and dehumanize those not like us
So they are no longer people who matter
"to protect the children" is the new mantra of hate
They come for the trans and drag queens
Then the queers and the immigrants
Women and doctors are the next to go
Finally those who speak out against these acts
They quietly disappear and the silence is deafening
Shunned in our schools and our churches
Banned from living and speaking the truth
We don’t even notice as it happens before our eyes
There will be no excuse
For those who seek to run from the blame
“We didn’t know, we didn’t think.”
Is the cry too late for those who don’t speak out
The ashes of those murdered
The voices of our own family stilled
The empty prayers for the ones who are lost
Become the testimony against those who don’t stand up
The time is now to speak out
We’ve seen this before
Speak up for those who have become the target
Of the ones who stoke the fear
Say no before it’s too late
Stop the madness while you can
Evil is subtle and patient
And waits for its time
The evil that excuses the hate
The evil that claims it is the voice of God
this voice is not from the God of love and grace
But from the false idol of power, hate and greed
There is a God of mercy and grace
And those who have been sacrificed become saints
The wrath of judgment of the true divine one
Will fall upon everyone who allowed this to happen
Whether by direct commission or the failure to speak out
Justice may be slow, but it will come
Judgment will be stern and severe
And the stain of these acts Will never fade away.