Speak..!

By Hidayat Ullah

Speak, your lips are free.
Speak, it is your own tongue.
Speak, it is your own body.
Speak, your life is still yours.

See how in the blacksmith’s shop
The flame burns wild, the iron glows red
The locks open their jaws,
And every chain begins to break

Speak, this brief hour is enough
Before the death of body and tongue:
Speak ’cause the truth is not dead yet.
Speak, speak, whatever you must speak.