Pause

When someone asks you to

Give them a brick

Ask

Is that a house

You're building there

Or a wall?

When someone asks you to

Give them a stone

Ask

Is the game

Ducks and drakes

Or

May 1968?

When someone asks you to

Give them a stick

Ask

Is that heat coming

From the stove

Or the bonfire?

Or else

Having auditioned for

Pal

Ally

Confidante

You may discover

You've been cast as

The outsider

The establishment

The heretic

You do not need

To participate in

The partition

The revolution

The auto-da-fé

Instead

Let the voice echo

Into nothingness

And let the silence

Be the mirror

That reveals

The true intent