WAIT A MINUTE.
Wait. A. Minute.
I look into my starburst-shattered mirror. Each jagged edge catches the light, each shard showing me something I wasn’t supposed to see.
This is what I see…
Shard 1
In this shard, words disappear.
We have names for this. For leaders who jail their enemies. For countries that cage children. For movements that turn human beings into ‘threats.’
But the words are ripped away. ‘Fascism’ is too dramatic. ‘Tyranny’ is an exaggeration. ‘Crimes against humanity’—that’s for textbooks.
So we call it ‘polarizing.’ We call it ‘divisive.’ We call it ‘just politics.’
And in that silence, the unthinkable slithers in.
The first thing they take isn’t our rights. It’s the words to describe them.
Shard 2
In this shard history is breathing.
Not as a warning. Not as a lesson. As a blueprint.
I see the German neighbors who ‘didn’t know.’ I see the Southern preachers who called lynching ‘justice.’ I see the same script— new actors, same plot.
And now? We call it ‘law and order.’ We call it ‘strong leadership.’ We call it ‘patriotism.’
The pattern isn’t coming. It’s here.
The mirror doesn’t show the past. It shows now.
Shard 3
In this shard, I see myself.
Not a monster. Not a hero. A person who looks away.
I scroll past the cages. I shrug at the ‘enemy of the people’ rhetoric. I tell myself it’s not that bad.
But the mirror doesn’t lie. It screams.
The most dangerous lie isn’t theirs. It’s the one I’m telling myself right now.
Shard 4
In this shard, appear lost words.
Fascism. Tyranny. Crime.
Not as hyperbole. As precision.
Because the only way to stop a monster is to call it by its name while it’s still in the room with us.
This isn’t a metaphor. This is a mirror. And it’s broken for a reason.
Shard 5
In this shard, appear all of us.
Not as victims. Not as saviors. As those who can choose.
Right now. Not tomorrow. Now.
Will we call this what it is? Will we act like we see it? Or will we turn away and let the mirror shatter completely?
Clarity isn’t a gift. It’s a demand.
Pick up a shard. Don’t look away. Don’t reject it.
Now.
What do YOU see?