When the Anthem Became a Dirge
How can the leaders of tomorrow die while singing the national anthem?
How can a people sing for their country
With hope trembling in their voices,
And have their voices swallowed by bullets?
They sang of a land where peace and justice reign,
While their blood stained the ground
On which they stood to demand them.
They sang of a nation’s honour,
Of a flag that should shelter them,
Of a future they were promised…
Yet, October 20 became the day
The future bled beneath its own flag.
Tell me,
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What is the worth of a national anthem
When the mouths singing it are silenced?
What is the meaning of the labour of our heroes past
When the children of today
Must pay for tomorrow with their lives?
October 20, 2020.
A date etched into the conscience of a nation.
A song that should have ended in hope,
A protest that should have ended in change,
And young people who deserved to live
Long enough to become all they dreamed of.
How can the leaders of tomorrow die
While singing the national anthem?
And how does a nation continue singing
After hearing the silence that followed?
