[of dreams and galaxies]

[ Loud Women]

The men of my family
Have tried to silence the women
/so much so that even a soft murmur sounds like fire alarms to them
And they are trying /yet again/
To silence us / and it's been a long time that the women of my family spoke loudly /
Saying each syllable with so much force
That it could shake their world / a world where they speak / again / again /and again
And the men/ they listen /they have to
  / because silence has become the comfort in which we lay into our bed at night / murmuring silent / soft lullabies into its ear, and it tries / to run away /to the sky and scream / loudly / painfully
/but hush, the silence has become our comfort, unknowingly
For silence doesn't ask us anything
For It stays with us in pain, holding out a hand like a mother cradling her first child / softly / fearfully / lovingly,
Like how my mother told me
'shush, don't speak too loudly / too much / she means,
So I'm still trying to speak loudly / writing / I mean,
And here I am again
Speaking/writing, and I hope my words scream louder / like sirens in a dead night
For I hope that my words have the power to speak / to scream / to tell that soon the silence will leave us/ that it will be over, and all we'll hear will be the voices / the unheard / the dead / the silent / the murderous cries