Little by little

Little by little

The water boils

Little by little

The frog is cooked

We pretend we don’t notice

That the laws are changed

That rights are removed

And liberty ends

We refuse to see how religion is used

And God’s name is taken in vain

To denounce those on the margins

And weaken those with no power

Like those before us

We turn up the music to cover the sounds of the trains

We spray air freshener to mask the smell of the smoke

We deny responsibility because it isn’t us

Our fears are used as an excuse

To condemn and dehumanize those not like us

So they are no longer people who matter

"to protect the children" is the new mantra of hate

They come for the trans and drag queens

Then the queers and the immigrants

Women and doctors are the next to go

Finally those who speak out against these acts

They quietly disappear and the silence is deafening

Shunned in our schools and our churches

Banned from living and speaking the truth

We don’t even notice as it happens before our eyes

There will be no excuse

For those who seek to run from the blame

“We didn’t know, we didn’t think.”

Is the cry too late for those who don’t speak out

The ashes of those murdered

The voices of our own family stilled

The empty prayers for the ones who are lost

Become the testimony against those who don’t stand up

The time is now to speak out

We’ve seen this before

Speak up for those who have become the target

Of the ones who stoke the fear

Say no before it’s too late

Stop the madness while you can

Evil is subtle and patient

And waits for its time

The evil that excuses the hate

The evil that claims it is the voice of God

this voice is not from the God of love and grace

But from the false idol of power, hate and greed

There is a God of mercy and grace

And those who have been sacrificed become saints

The wrath of judgment of the true divine one

Will fall upon everyone who allowed this to happen

Whether by direct commission or the failure to speak out

Justice may be slow, but it will come

Judgment will be stern and severe

And the stain of these acts Will never fade away.