Visibility

You can’t take away my hope when my name is Hope. You shouldn’t play with flames when fire lives inside of me. I know who I am. You’d best have a seat and learn. To shut me down, you had to acknowledge that you could see me. To shut me up, you had to admit that you could hear me. Out of zealousness to eliminate the threat of change, you gave me credibility. You gave me visibility. Fear is a cruel master. Now everyone can hear me.

Don’t you know who I am? I know you know Gandhi but don’t you know who my people are? I know you love peace but have you heard of Netaji? Haven’t you learned that when there is no justice there can be no peace? Don’t you think I know my history, who fought for the rights of those who came before me? Fear is a cruel master. Now everyone can hear me.

In a heartbeat, you’ll quote Martin Luther King Jr. but have you heard from Malcolm X? Have you heard of Bhagat Singh? Don’t you know that by the time they were crossing the bridge to the other side of eternity, Malcolm was more like Martin and Martin more like Malcolm than you could ever see? Don’t you know that my people gave their lives for visibility? Hung by the British Raj. Murdered by the people you associate with civility. Fear is a cruel master. Now everyone can hear me.

You love Marvel like Indians love ghee but do you know the heroes of my comic books, of Amar Chitra Katha stories? Do you know that Kannagi burned the entire city of Madurai to the ground when she was angry? You shouldn’t play with flames when fire lives inside of me. Fear is a cruel master. Now everyone can hear me.

I deny you permission to make me smaller than I am. I reject your desire to dominate over me. Whispering means nothing because I can read lips. I know you lie because your lips are moving. I don’t need x-ray vision to see through your mirrors and smoke screens. Your comfort does not take priority over my personhood. I won’t police my tone to cater to your fragility. The way I protect the people I love doesn’t justify you crying for protection from me. What threat am I to you? What a threat you are to me. Fear is a cruel master. Now everyone can hear me.