i don't claim to
tell the future but...
a brown paper towel
scrapes your fingers,
removing ink from the whorls
where it lingers.
they take a picture,
reduce your name to a number
buzz you into a cell
(slam)
& do U wonder
crime committed?
not speaking up
when you had the chance.
silence.
convicted.
Tell a story in 55 words. Give it a try or just read more, go see g-man.
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93 comments:
That is so how it could happen too!! Yikes!!
Hugs
SueAnn
silence kills. Brilliant my friend
If everyone who posted the "I voted" badge on Facebook actually HAD voted, the turnout would have been something like 168% of registered voters. Amazing, is it not? Slacktivism is a disease.
Shirking one's civic duty is a neglected malady, alright.
I voted! :)
Hi! Brian...
Question: If a person don't vote do they have the right to complain if politicians, don't do the things that they want done?
Brian, after re-reading your post are you saying not voting "should be" a...crime.
Should I just add the word...Duh! here somewhere?
Nice use of 55 words Brian, Thanks, for sharing!
DeeDee ;-D
"removing ink from the whorls" Nice impression there and overall. Nice 55!
In answer to one of your commentors, even though one does not vote they DO have the right to complain..because thankfully, it is America.
But I voted and feel a moral obligation to do so. The question really should be, how many people went to the polls and voted without being fully informed?
Awesome! I vote by mail in the comfort of my own home though (if you don't count my husband trying to tell me how to vote!). :)
Silence can be golden under the right circumstances but sometimes silence can have a catastrophic outcome & breed contempt.
This year in Australia we were faced with an election that found a lot of Australians in a quandary about what to do. Some found that silence was the best way to scream out, if you know what I mean.
I voted...although I was not very happy with the choices we had before us. Now I have my fingers, toes & everything crossed that I marked the right box!
Yeah, you gotta get to the polls and help drown out those votes from all the idiots.
Vote by mail in Oregon. Takes some of the fun out of the old traditions. My 55 is HERE .
Are you admitting you didn't vote or am I reading that wrong?
Very strong message. The problem is who do you vote for if both candidates (or all 3) are all terrible options that you don't agree with?
oh no...i voted...
silence, lovely 55 Brian..
Mine is here, Golden Days
--Someone Is Special--
Only positions I don't vote for are the ones I'm not informed about. I remember writing in a candidate for a presidential primary. Foolishly I shared this with a coworker. He was livid. "Wasted a vote." Not in my opinion. I voted my conscience. Always have; always will.
It's too scary to think about but you're right.
I wish I had the privilege to vote...
i voted.
Yep, speak up for what you believe in if you know it's for the greater good.
xo
I agree 100% Son...
Most excellent civic minded 55.
I'm so glad you changed your mind.
Thanks for playing, and have a Kick Ass Week-End...G
Preaching to the choir, Brian. Bloggers are an interesting lot. I don't think any one of us has a problem with being silent. I do know that we cannot, and will not, be silenced by any regime, be it "right" or "left". Good one...made me think!
Awesome 55! I voted too. I LOVE Titaniums comment, lol...I bet that's so true!
Anyhow...I'd never be the one in your 55. I have too big of a mouth, lol.
Mine's up here
Have a great weekend!
even though it felt like shouting into the wind i took time to do my civic duty.
The key: not speaking up when you had the chance. Always speak your mind. No one will know what you are thinking if you don't and if you don't agree...well then, a chance to convince or be convinced.
Nice! I am thankful that I took the time to be informed and to vote from my heart...that isn't the easiest thing to do. :)
This is certainly one all young people should be reading. Nice message here.
I don't know how you manage to tell such stories in so few words. This one just caught me by surprise. It's wonderful Brian!
Freedom ain't free! Right on, Bro....
I agree with SueAnn; it could so happen that way! Great job here.. again! :-)
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Hugs,
Coreen
Amen...
slam
clink
and pronounced.
it could just happen.
We can only account for ourselves. -J
Great way to express irritation with those who don't vote. I did and I hope...I hope.
Wow! Great job as always!
O.K. so I posted my comment, but it was too opinionated. So I deleted it. While I do not necessarily agree with the trend of some of the opinions of others here, I support you and how you expressed yourself through this post. Blessings my friend.
Oops... never wanted so bad to go back in time!
i hear you D...and unlike everyone else...i got to see what you wrote and no i dont disagree...i would be interested in hearing some of the reasons though...
Tis indeed a crime.
I voted! And I'm actually happy with most of the results! :)
LIFE CAN BE CRUEL!
Wish I could have shared your words on election day. You slipped in wisdom in 55 words. Impressive!
I always vote. :-)
I voted. Apparently not enough. LOL.
Hehehe... I don't usually stop by to read "55s," but your title snagged me.
I dig this one.
So true...not voting just doesn't make sense to me. We have a voice and we should use it.
some things I voted for passed others didn't. I can be content in the fact that I voiced my opinion - wish I could do it louder
nice 55
and thanks for being you Bri!!!
Moonie smiles
"not speaking up when you had the chance"
I wonder how many atrocities could have been avoided?
This reminds me of a song.. Dave Matthews I think
Well the judge said to me, "Son what is your alibi, if you were somewhere else then you won't have to die."
I said not a word, though it meant my life; cause I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife.....
Ah, good one and I agree. Vote by mail (with no excuse needed) would certainly help increase voter turnout. Still, so many have lost faith in the system and getting them back is a real challenge.
How many of us think, at one stage or another, that our vote is so miniscule it won't make a difference. How wrong we are - all the little crosses add up! Good one, Brian.
Yep, it's important, yet ... after the recent election in the UK, and two parties coming together to form a Coalition, not one voter got what they voted for.
What a powerful 55! I can hear those cell doors slamming. Blessings Brian.
When I hear people complain, bitch and moan I always ask them what they have done to be part of the solution. I get a lot of blank stares.
Very impressive, one of the best I've read.
wow this is cool. i love the way you think, and of course how you write it
Yup ! speaking up- hard to do in a timely manner, but ya-betta-do-it-fast, or loose your hide...Good One! love the beginning especially.
great! thx for coming by! do you sleep? LOL
Very astute, thanks for the reminder of what could happen...
Sandi
It's going to be interesting to see what happens in near future...
Now it's going to be very difficult to make decisions but compromising is the only way to work together, for the American people and world.
Not speaking up..and the world comes to an end..I find this to be very creative and important!!
Democracy is a very strange thing indeed. We vote, they get into power, then turn their attention to everything but governing in a manner that is 'for the people, by the people, of the people'... So do our voices mean anything anyway?
It is true though, if we keep silent when our voices might be heard and counted for something, we have bypassed our obligations
Politics is a provoking subject, you did it justice. :))
So poignant in a few lines. Everyone can make a difference, every vote counts.
Here in Scandinavia the voting participation is always around 80-90%.
Have a great Friday dear Brian,
xoxo
Well written, (Now I sit here with fingers on the keys wondering for any reason to add an opinion) Very well written!
Voting is not only a right but a duty.
One should always use one's vote - it's a crime not to.
excellently written....our right to be heard
Puts a lot into perspective, Brian. The right to vote is like everything else - Use it or lose it.
Have a happy weekend!
I wasn't silent. I voted! And all my guys won!
They got my vote. The ones who deserve it.
Good! This time you said so much, with so little! Thanks.
Yet another reason to go vote - because you can (without going to jail!) Nice 55!
Brilliant - we must all speak up against the injustices in the world.
Brilliant 55 - love what you say without saying...
very interesting poem brian. your versatility is enviable :)
Happy deepawali! May light, happiness and wealth shower down on your world and stay.
trisha
mydomainpvt.wordpress.com
I didn't because I neglected to educate myself on the ballot and didn't want to make an ignorant vote just because. I'll do better next time.
I have not once failed to vote in a presidential election since I was 18.
Lots to think about in that one -- and so timely.
I voted, and took the kids: 'this is what you DO, you promise me --'
LOL
My oldest came with me to vote. He stood right next to me, looked over the ballot and watch me fill in the circles of my choices. It was a nice experience for both of us. He was really into the last presidential campaign, and I am glad that his generation is getting informed so they can be involved in the future! Great 55 and hoping you have a sweet weekend....
yep - still think it's really good..my fav line is...reduce your name to a number..that's really strong brian
Wow nice nay brilliant!
Nice...and final. Guess one should always speak up. Didn't realize you were alluding to voting, though.
Silence is not always golden.
Never know when the freedom bell will stop ringing...I may have to leave before that happens.
I voted too even though I'm not sure how that fits in here. Feel free to laugh. I'm lost as usual.
powerful...yes, we have the right, we MUST vote! xo
This is too cool, Brian!
Great post Brian!You spoke!
Each vote has a value but only if we made a responsible choice.
This is how one must feel after casting a vote and realizing what they just did!!!
I really (I mean REALLY) liked the way you put it, B! That nagging feeling... deep inside... you just "know" something's wrong somewhere! Or is it??
Good one, Brian!! AS ever!!!
I voted. Otherwise you forfeit your right to complain. And I totally stole that line from another friend's facebook page.
Belgians don't have the right to vote, they have the duty to vote. We get fined if we don't show up.
Then we have a lot of "protest" parties and blank votes.
I voted! I knew it was futile in my state, but I feel it's an obligation.
I am glad to have voted. It didn't turn out the way I voted but time will tell on all of that.
Excellent!
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