DEMOCRACY IN ASHES

They elect the fire to put out the house
They elect the wolf to watch the herd
They promise order and deliver a gag
They promise the people and deliver their own grandeur

Democracy doesn't die by bullet
It dies by applause and silence
It dies by people who trade the public square
For a leader who promises relief

Democracy in ashes
Burned by vote, not by fire
Whoever lit the fuse was chosen
By those who feared their own game

They call weakness what is care
They call strength what is cowardice
They turn history backwards, on purpose
While the future loses the thread of the day

Democracy doesn't die by bullet
It dies by applause and silence
It dies by people who trade the public square
For a leader who promises relief

Democracy in ashes
Burned by vote, not by fire
Whoever lit the fuse was chosen
By those who feared their own game

It wasn't destiny
It was choice, it was omission
It was every vote cast in fear
And every silence in the crowd

Democracy in ashes
But ash is also seed
If we plant memory and courage
This here still grows differently

Ashes are not the end
Ashes are a warning