When Silence Wept

"The Banner's Curse"

Born in flames, in revolution's roar,
When tyrants fell, and blood ran raw,
The cry for freedom, bold and bright,
Gave birth to nationalism's light.

A nation's pride, a people's claim-
One voice, one flag, one burning flame.
It promised strength, it promised might,
To bind the broken, fuel the fight.

At first, it swore to lift the weak,
To free the land, to let them speak.
But in that fire, dark seeds were sown,
A bitter truth, a cancer grown.

For what began as righteous creed,
Now drives the thirst for endless greed.
The flags that once were raised with pride,
Now cloak the hatred deep inside.

Borders drawn with sharpened steel,
Divide the land, suppress the will.
A fervor burns in every land,
That pits the soul against the hand.

The "us" and "them," the ancient fight,
A poison born of twisted might.
The cries of unity grow cold,
As history's darkest tales unfold.

Wars of blood, in nation's name,
Brought endless suffering, endless shame.
The chants of power, victory's call,
Now echo in the ruins' fall.

Nationalism's mask, once pure,
Now hides the hate, the scars, the lure.
A beast unleashed, with teeth of pride,
That hunts the weak, and spreads the divide.

What once was hope has turned to fire,
Fanned by greed and base desire.
Where nations rose, empires spread-
And millions lie among the dead.

The truth is dark, the truth is clear:
Nationalism feeds on fear.
It binds the heart, it blinds the mind,
To love of land, it makes us blind.

The banners wave, the trumpets sound,
But in the end, no peace is found.
For every claim to nation's might
Leaves only ashes in the night.

What started bright, what started fair,
Is now a curse the world must bear.
And as the lines in blood are drawn,
The hope of freedom slowly gone.

So here we stand, beneath the sky,
Where banners rise, and humans die.
A bitter truth, we cannot hide-
In nationalism's grip, we're tied.