Billy Malanga
A Mere Matter Of Words
“A mere matter of words,” we say contemptuously, forgetting that words have power to mould men’s thinking, to canalize their feeling, to direct their willing and acting.
—Aldous Huxley
Since the earth never fully froze over, a land bridge
united many ancestral tribes who battled for something
larger than spears, fire, and skin. They showed us what
was important to them on the walls of Patagonia,
Serra da Capivara, Altamira, and Newspaper Rock.
It was not a game.
Elements of their striking ancient message rages
today in cities, under bridges, on campuses and on trains.
The damage lurks under the eyes of bronze liberty as the
people’s First Amendment holds her breath. The world
digs in. We are becoming desperately divided. We must
not fail to appreciate how powerful our words, how
integrated we are.
We are scared. We are frightened of the words that
are being spoken out there. Racism, fascism, intolerance
hides behind iron faces and preaches with sticks of
dynamite. The Harpoon of intolerance sinks its tip deep
into the belly, humanity’s whale. Let them speak, but
never forget the power that they keep as we sleep
in our own skin.
Billy Malanga’s recent poetry has been published or is forthcoming in The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, The Creativity Webzine, The Write Launch, Picaroon Poetry, and other journals. Billy is a first generation college graduate, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and the grandson of Italian immigrants. He currently lives in Urbana, Illinois and is relocating to Auburn, Alabama in August 2017.
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