I do not want to live
In fear of a vengeful God.
I do not want to live
Behind the flames of my country.
I do not want to live
Every night wondering if it will be my last.
I do not want to live
in fear.
I do not want to live
in hate.
I do not want to live
In a place where my soul is not my own,
My person is not my true self,
My dreams are those of my superiors.
I do not want to live
If living means forgetting love
And stifling my mind against faith,
And hope,
And knowledge.
I do not want to live in acceptance.
I want to fight, to rebel, to scream for what I need,
And for my screams to echo against the concrete buildings I built,
And I will destroy.
I do not want to live a half-life
One of repentance and guilt and sacrifice.
I want to remember trees and meadows and flowers
I want to remember freedom.
I do not want to live
If living means waiting to die.