I have been told not to reply to Face Book streams

I have been told my passion is bad…for me                           

I have been told with love, and concern for my health

I have been told to distance myself from the cesspool of politics

I have been told not read the comments that denigrate our country,

Spread falsehoods without checking, and find it acceptable to sacrifice the old and vulnerable

How can I not answer the under educated, the lies, the misinformation?

How can I bury my passion and ignore what is happening?

To the country?

To the world?

To us?

What happens if voices of sanity fall silent and the cacophony of chaos is allowed to roam unfettered?

I direct my passion, state my status, and politely ask for reason

I then go quietly about my life with horses, dogs, birds and flowers

To wait for the next lie, the next outrage, that must be answered

Answered, and left warming the table, while I move on

Tell me I do not need passion

Tell me I do not need truth

tell me it is time for my voice to be silenced, and that I should vanish without a trace

And I will quietly, politely answer “when hell freezes over”