by Madeleine F White

The Word
Sits. Still. Silent
It doesn’t become Until
Someone speaks it uttering Violence
Into the silence: hateful, hysterical, fear-filled. Woke!

You must not speak unless it’s been spoken: while walking the path of blood and tears remain Unbroken.
Knowing as you walk the price of all you hold will be magnified A Hundredfold
And even then, it can’t be yours because the handcuffs of This World
Lock all in their embrace, so you will face everything. Alone. 

And while you’re on your own the words will come at you, beat you, eat you. Whole.
Misdirection, rejection, defection. Taken, mistaken, forsaken. Your Soul.
But then, amidst the noise you hear a voice. Truth.
Soothing-golden, not beholden. Unfolding 
The Word. Transformed
Speaks. Holding
Peace. 

Madeleine F White was born in Germany, with roots in Canada and the UK. A magazine publisher and editor, she has produced national and international web and print magazines, creating a voice for those without one, such as the successful Nina-Iraq, a project she worked on with the World Bank to reach out to Iraqi women everywhere. Since 2019, she has been founder/editor of Write On! magazine and Write on Extra e-zine and Write On! podcast, published by Pen to Print, an Arts Council NPO organisation.

Her novel Mother of Floods is available online and in bookshops in the UK, US and Canada and through Amazon and other online retailers. Sisters Of Storms, a companion novel, is due for release in 2024.