He Cannot Be Silenced! Poem by Bernard Jess Sagpang

He has sworn
And in his heart he has branded
An oath to speak the truth
To live and die
For justice and freedom

He has sworn
And he cannot be silenced!

Rob him of his clothes
To nakedness
Before the eyes of many
Or slander his name
With a hundred arrows
Heckling words to plunder
His integrity
He has kept unstained

Or

Chain him to prison
To barrenness
To conviction undeserved
Or shatter his hands
To stop him from writing
Words thrown like a volley
Against his rivals
He has brought to judgment

Ha-ha!
He cannot be silenced!

Because he has sworn
In his heart he has branded
An oath before God
Before men and women
Before the afflicted
And the justice deprived
Before the people
Who hasn’t heard the truth
Before the blind
Before those who can’t speak
And those who are afraid to
And even before his enemies
Before himself

Yes!
He cannot be silenced!

His life is an oath!