This is a modern adaptation of the famous poem "First they came..." written by Martin Niemöller (1892–1984), A German Lutheran pastor. It remains today a powerful reflection on the dangers of silence in the face of injustice.

Niemöller was initially a conservative nationalist and even supported Hitler's rise in the early 1930s. However, when the Nazi regime began persecuting the church, he co-founded the Confessing Church (a Protestant movement resisting Nazi control) and openly criticized Hitler.

In 1937, he was arrested and spent seven years in concentration camps, including Sachsenhausen and Dachau. After WWII, he became a vocal pacifist and advocate for reconciliation.

Niemöller's words remain a timeless warning about complicity, moral courage, and collective responsibility.

First they came for the powerless—and I crafted perfect excuses.
Then they came for the principled—and I composed thoughtful tweets.
Now they come for me—
and the silence I perfected
echoes louder
than my screams ever could.

First They Came ...

First they came for the Inter-racial marriages, and I did not speak out—
Because my silence was the price of keeping the peace at family dinners

Then they came for the Gay, Lesbian, and Transsexuals, and I did not speak out—
Because my pronouns had never been legislated against.

Then they came for Immigrants and their families, and I did not speak out—
Because my ancestors’ graves made my citizenship unquestionable.

Then they came for women’s reproductive rights, and I did not speak out—
Because my vasectomy was elective.

Then they came for minority voters by gutting the Voting Rights Act, and I did not speak out—
Because my polling place has never been “accidentally” closed.

Then they came for the teachers, banning books and truth, and I did not speak out—
Because my kid's private school only taught 'patriotic' history.

Then they came for the scientists, silencing climate warnings, and I did not speak out—
Because my stock portfolio included drought-resistant crops.

Then they came for the press, calling them ‘enemies of the people’, and I did not speak out—
Because my Substack wasn’t ‘trending’ in their algorithms.

Then they came for the Muslims, the atheists, the ‘unbelievers’, and I did not speak out—
Because the cross around my neck was my passport.

Then they began arresting Judges, and I did not speak out—
Because I believed the Constitution made the Third Branch of Government untouchable.

Now they’re coming for me—
and the silence I cultivated is the only thing left to greet me.