David Roth

Another Day at Moses Brown
Another day at Moses Brown, a high school in Rhode IslandAnnouncements every Tuesday and a forum for the kidsTo have a chance to stand and speak, to share their feelings once a weekNever had that kind of thing when I was back in schoolSo here was Tuesday, 10 AM, right in the school gymnasiumSilently some 40 students rose up from their seatsWalked down to the front and formed a line to face their classmatesEach held a paper sign with one big letter on each sheetThis was a day of silence for many 'round the countryTo lower their voice in union with all people who are gayThe 40 kids who held their ground were spelling out a question"What will you do to end the silence?" is what they didn't sayA roaring stillness filled the air, the hush eventually provokedA couple other students muttering this is what we'll doWe want to form our own group, it's called the "DFD"Different silence followed, with a stifled laugh or twoBut those three letters caused a stir that ripped right through the school that dayEmotions had been triggered that could no longer be deniedNotes on the opinion board opened up the floodgatesSoon everybody knew those letters stood for "Die, fag, die" Next morning came, the word was out, a nerve had been exposedLetras de cancionesA special meeting in the gym, and everyone was thereFurious, the principal declared her disappointmentThat such a thing could happen in the halls that they all shared"We've always prided Moses as a place where all are safe" she said"Regardless of our differences, beliefs, and what we doThese words that we heard yesterday diminish human dignityI thought our school a haven, now I know it isn't true"One by one now others rose, both faculty and studentsSome defensive, others outraged, all would have their sayBut as each person stood and spoke, a wall was slowly buildingBrick by brick, a wall of pain was rising there that dayThe meeting nearly over now, the room on razors edgesNo one knew just how to bridge this gap or what to sayThen Corey Clinton stood and cleared his throat, the gym fell silentEverybody at Moses Brown knew Corey Clinton was gayCorey Clinton, gay, they knew, he'd never tried to hide itHis notes on the opinion board were there for all to seeHe raised his voice and looked around and spoke to all assembled"All I've got is love for you. What do you have for me?""What do you have for me?" he said, and simply sat back down againInstead of adding to that wall he'd opened up a doorAnd afterwards a bunch of kids came up to Corey cryingIncluding some who'd hassled him so many times beforeAnother day at Moses Brown, a high school in Rhode IslandAnnouncements every Tuesday, never know what they might beThough Corey's off to college now, his words still echo through those hallsAll I've got is love for youWhat do you have for me? From Letras Mania