Every time they yelled at you
Every time they raised their hands at you
Every time they made a fool of you
I wanted to protect you
But I stayed silent
I too was a child
I too was a child without any support
Without any courage
Should I have spoken?
Had I broken my silence,
Would you be free?
Would I have been able to save yourself and me?
I should have helped you
I shouldn’t have been afraid of the consequences
I should have been there for you
Without questioning myself
I was scared
I’m sorry that I was scared
I too wanted to be there for you
But I couldn’t even help you
I should have spoken for myself
I should have stood up for you too
But I believed in the power of silence
When I should’ve been able to be with you.
Dristi Rajak
Grade XII
St Mary’s Secondary School, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur