Still Human

They throw that word like a cigarette Half-burnt insult they haven’t quit yet Like empathy’s a weakness now Or reading too much makes you dangerous somehow But I learned names they never said Saw the ghosts stitched into the edges And once your eyes adjust to light You can’t go quietly back to night No — I don’t think love’s a losing side And I won’t laugh just to survive So call me woke Wide awake and still hurting Still trying to hold the whole world gently If kindness is naïve, let me be naïve I’d rather break with truth in my hands Than live untouched where nobody stands Knowledge and compassion — those are not flaws They’re the closest thing this world has to God Funny how every freedom we praise Was once condemned in exactly the same way Too loud, too soft, too radical Until history made it conventional And now the frightened joke and sneer At anyone who says “someone’s suffering here” But silence never changed a thing It just taught cruelty how to sing Maybe I feel too much Maybe that’s true Maybe numbness just looked stronger to you But I don’t want a heart carved hollow and cold Just to make cynicism easier to hold So call me woke I’ll wear it honestly Like bruised hope stitched into my sleeve Because knowledge should lead somewhere humane And compassion’s never been the enemy No matter what they scream on TV If caring makes me weak in your eyes I can live with that Wide awake Still human Still here © Mickey Wilder - 2026