The Coward

By Andrew R. Duckworth

Under the light of the stage,
When the crowds have gone away
But the microphone stays live,
To pick up the heavy breaths
Of one too weak to speak
When the crowd was there,
When the crowd was brutal,
Stands the man with too many
Words left unspoken swirling
In a whirlwind of frustration.
The crowd was searching for truth
That lasts and can wash away the
Brutish blaze of lies and deceit,
A truth that they won’t hear
From the mouth of a coward.