Voices

In memory of George Floyd (1973–2020)

voices from our lungs
have sound
vibration
colour
and life

they
laugh
…sing
……shout
………exclaim
sigh
…whine
……wail
………scream
play
…..imitate
……surprise
………affirm
disapprove
…dismiss
……disgust
………disappoint
question
…scare
……hesitate
………annoy
yawn
…moan
……groan
………roar
whistle
…whisper
……wonder
………call
declare
…cheer
……adore
………bless

every note
in high or low pitch
up or down accent
silence or noise
composed into a melody
in an ever-flowing river
of life

until
choked on the ground
smothered by the mask
crushed by Houston and Chengdu
suffocated by the pandemics
slaughtered in the home kitchen
…
and every moment since Eden

all we need
is to
BREATHE

[Image: Gabe Pierce]

℘℘℘℘

XIAOLI YANG IS A THEOLOGIAN, POET, AND SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR. SHE LIVES AND PLAYS ON WURUNDJERI LAND AND IN THE MIDDLE KINGDOM.