Silent No Longer

We moved in silence with our children
And the little we could carry
Forced at gunpoint from our village
By the oilman’s military
We worked in silence on the pipeline
Could not speak for fear of beating
Just one man in all of Burma
Heard our words and gave the meaning
Silent no longer
I walk in silence through the jungle
Knowing they will try to catch me
Try to stop me as a I travel
With the stories of my country
Names and ages, dates and places
All the bodies, all the faces
Burned and tortured, raped and murdered
Once in silence, now uncovered
Silent no longer
She crossed in silence past the border
English teacher and a lawyer
With the knowledge she could help us
Bringing love and love of justice
For the forest, sea and river
For the rhino and the tiger
For my self, my friends, my family
For my village and my country
No more danger, no more torture
No more landmines, no more violence
No more soldiers, no more oil men
No more pipelines, no more silence
Silent no longer
We have the truth
We have our strength
We have our voice
We have our love