We Think We Know

We look around before we step.
We check the room before we speak.
We watch the faces.
Read the air.
We don’t go first.
We wait and see.

Not because we’re weak.
Not because we’re small.
We just don’t like
Standing alone at all.

We move when others move.
We speak when others speak.
We rise when it feels safe.
We bend when we feel heat.

We don’t fear the truth.
We fear being first.
We don’t fear the fall.
We fear standing out worse.

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