Arise, O Hearty Poets Poem by Martins Akhoeneto

Arise, O hearty poets,
rise against your muted lips;
unbolt the gates of silence,
let living language take its risks.

Scribble not the easy praise
while truth lies bruised beneath the tongue;
write with the ink of courage,
and let no trembling hand be young.

Write strength into the broken,
valor where the frightened kneel;
write without the master's permission,
without a bargain with the real.

Let truth come naked to the page—
unperfumed, unbought, unbent.
For what is poetry, if not
a wound refusing to be silent?

So rise, you keepers of the word.
Let your verses carry flame.
When history asks who dared to speak,
let your poems answer your name.