Speak the Truth

The above photo was found somewhere on the internet by an acquaintance of mine.  I do not know the context of the photo, but it makes me think of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  It could be a building anywhere.  It inspired some words, below:

Speak the Truth
Speak the truth
even if your voice shakes.
Speak the truth
if your voice breaks.
'Til your heart quakes and makes
new space for the fakes and all their mistakes.
Speak through the re-takes,
speak when there's high stakes,
speak as the earth quakes,
Speak the truth even if your voice shakes,
Speak the truth.
Speak the truth when you don't know where the conversation is headed,
when you're in mixed company,
even if you think you might offend
somebody.
Speak the truth when your heart is pounding so hard,
you can hardly hear anything but the blood in your ears.
Speak the truth when you've got everything or nothing to lose,
when the world is on fire,
and when everyone else is eerily
quiet and calm.
Speak the truth.
Speak the truth when it hurts,
when you're not sure if you'll make it through,
Speak the truth believing
that doing so
  can
    heal.
Speak the truth when there's no time left,
and when there's all the time in the world.
Speak the truth like
your own flag unfurled
When it goes against everything everyone else is saying,
because what they're saying may just be what they're wishing was real,
and may not be
what's really going on.
Speak the truth like you're the only one with a mouth,
like everyone has
wide open ears
like someone might open theirs
and actually hear
Your Truth.
Speak the truth.
When it's a rainy day,
when there's a crowd in the street,
when there's one hand raised in
a room half asleep
and it's your hand,
Speak the truth.
When you know the risks,
speak the truth.
And even if you don't,
still,
somehow,
speak the truth.
Carefully choose words
to maintain freedom, if you can,
but know no matter where you end up,
it's what inside that makes you free.
Speak the truth.
When the only words that ring true
are of prophets and poets
a thousand years gone,
speak the truth.
When the world around you says "Just forget it and move on,"
feel your heartbeat,
and then,
Speak the truth.
When you want deeply,
speak the truth.
When you love deeply,
speak the truth.
When you know deeply,
speak the truth,
and when you speak deeply,
Speak
the
Truth.
--
CBF July 24, 2013