They say go.
Line up.
Scan in like inventory.
Not a citizen.
Just another item in the system.
Beep. Name. Number. Move along.
No pen.
Just a chop.
A soft, obedient stamp that says:
“I followed the instructions.”
The space is too quiet.
Too polished.
Even the silence feels practiced,
like theatre hush, not reverence.
Each logo glows under fluorescent light.
Red. Blue. Maybe a wildcard.
But the endings are written in advance.
It’s the same story.
Different fonts.
They say it’s my voice. My democracy.
I call it theatre.A locked script.
And my part was already cast.
They call it representation.
But I’ve read the payouts.
Watched the same faces rotate positions.
Seen dissent get folded quietly
into nothing.
I entered the booth, hoping it still meant something.
But the air was still.
The silence, rehearsed.
It didn’t feel like power.
It felt like permission.
To comply.
To vanish politely.
To play along and never raise my voice.
I held the chop like it mattered.
But it was weightless.
Dull.
It landed like protocol.
A murmur of ink.
Nothing sharp.
It didn’t echo, didn’t carve.
Just faded —
like permission being revoked mid-sentence.
They call it freedom.
I call it a barcode scan.
A stamp of compliance.
A queue built for order,
not for listening.
Not a vote.
A timestamp.
Not power.
Just participation.
Not presence.
Just proof I stood in line
and said nothing.
Author’s Note
I didn’t plan this.
It rose from the same silence they tell us is pride.
The same order they call progress.
This isn’t rebellion.
It’s record.
Of what it feels like
to walk into a booth
and watch your voice
disappear under rubber.
-Shain
No noise. No fluff.
Just me, telling the truth out loud.
You’re welcome to stay.
Very well-written and relevant!! So powerful!!
I admire lyrical writing so much because it’s something I absolutely can’t do, and yours is beautiful. This piece hit like a punch to the gut, not because of what you said, but because of how true it all is. Thank you for the honesty, especially in today’s political climate.
Can’t wait to read more from you! :)