Disillusioned with the state of affairs in Malta, a 14-year-old activist has penned a sarcastic but heartfelt poem in an attempt to stir the public into making their voices heard. 

“What future does Malta have? What safety does our voice have?” Eve Borg Bonello told Lovin Malta. “So much is at stake and we don’t even know it. I’m very patriotic, I love Malta and that’s why I want to fight for it. We as Maltese citizens deserve better. We all need to speak up and make our voices heard, or we’ll regret it in the long run.”

The poem, entitled Oqgħod Kwieta (Stay Silent), is being reproduced in full below and is followed by an English translation of it. 

“Stay silent

Don’t say a word

They don’t want to hear the truth. 

Stay silent.

Don’t say a word. 

They don’t care about integrity. 

Just let the two parties lead you by the nose

And discard you as soon as they get elected

You will get marked as forming part of an ideology

Even though, ultimately, that’s not how democracy should work.

God forbid you think for yourself

Because you will get stared at as though a giant has just trodden over you

And as though his shoe has left a mark of truth, of which only a shred remains. 

Therefore I tell you, my friend

Stay silent and don’t say a word 

Because the last person who opened her mouth

Ended up silenced in the middle of a field.”

READ NEXT: Today’s Valletta Protest In Quotes: Prime Minister Urged To Resign As Thousands Cheer On

Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]