Courage Day
The International Day of the Imprisoned Writer
Every year on 15 November PEN International launches its Day of the Imprisoned Writer campaign, highlighting the cases of writers who are imprisoned or facing prosecution and calling for urgent international action to release and protect them. Sadly the number of writers prosecuted for their words keeps on increasing.
This year, for the event organised by my local society of authors, I wrote the letter below and was invited to read it.
Dear Writer,
I resist the urge to write ‘dear imprisoned writer,’ for you (whoever you are) are a writer and as such live in and of words and as everyone (even the jailers and the executioners) knows words cannot be imprisoned.
Like birds.
At best they (both words and birds) can be temporarily incarcerated in an often brutal, but always futile, attempt to muzzle, to silence, to erase, and above all to forget.
Such is the retribution the fear commands. Their fear. Of your words.
Imagine! How they must fear you. How they must fear the words you have unleashed.
A simple thread of symbols falling in line, one after the other. Polished, primed, and ready.
To be heard. Spoken. Sung. Whispered.
Over the ocean waves, desert winds, silvery mist of forests’ rains, pebbly currents of rivers. Wherever humans dwell.
Such are their powers, as correctly recognised at the time of inception, to have prompted the rise of countless cages, constructions of gaols and gallows, assembling of firing squads, buildings of bonfires. For centuries.
Just imagine! All that effort. And all in vain.
For your words can no more be silenced than birds can stop flying. Each flapping of velvety wings spurring another, even when falling.
Wherever humans dwell.
Like the caged bird’s body aches and suffers, its wings limp, its feathers still and listless, your body too shall suffer. For it must to birth the words the mighty fear.
Just imagine! All that weaponry against the words you had shaped in the secret chambers of your soul. Forged with the fire of your mind.
To join the collective story of humanity, as many have done before you and more will do after you. Enduring anew the murky depths of brutality each time.
Wherever humans dwell.
At the end, as, with all my heart, I wish you strength and courage, even more I wish you never to run out of oil, wick, and match with which to keep the flame inside your lamp burning.
Yours truly
Daniela
Thank you for reading and please let me know your thoughts!
Originally published at: https://danieladragas.com/pub/courage-day
