You're right, of course.
We should be raging.
Every minute of every day
That a person goes hungry
That a hospital is bombed
That slavery is and has been
That the planet is burning
With hate and fear and pride
But mostly as a sacrifice
To the ravenous god Mammon
Who demands a child die
For each dollar it grants the wicked
You're totally right.
We should be unable to breathe
To sleep, to have peace
Until each war is ended forever
Until violence is mutinied
And bullets no longer rain
on the schools and churches
And cities and countries
Until all are free from the demons
In the legislature
and in their minds
In the pulpit
and in their homes
You're right. We are complicit.
You're right.
We live in abundance
while others starve
And freeze and lie ill
or scream of anguish
On our very streets
We pass by and we scroll on
We can't take another headline
We ask in despair if anything matters
And wonder that anyone has survived this long
This cruel planet,
and its stupid inhabitants
Destroying it as fast as possible
In our worship to our golden god
You're right.
It should make us boil in rage.
You're right.
We have no excuse to stay silent.
And our bodies are also right.
We cannot take constant grief and rage.
We are not built for this 24/7 world.
We need rest and hope and humor
We need to hold so much in our hearts
Not just the anger fire
But the still waters
Not just the injustice
But praise of the good
The birds of the air
And the palm trees that line my street
Know something I don't
And they don't know what I know
So I learn from their wisdom
And ground myself to the earth
That will be here long after we die
Welcoming us back to the dirt
I can feel and do and be
And speak from
My full self
Unashamed
Unwavering in righteous anger
Rooted in peace within
Committed to what is mine to do
Rejoicing with those who rejoice
Taking pleasure in the ephemeral and savoring transcendence
Holding in tension
Multidimensional
Loving and raging and
fighting and calming
Hosting and giving
And resting and creating
So that my body,
mind and heart
Survive long enough
to turn my grief
Into a legacy.
There has yet to be
peace on the Earth
But don't stop seeking
Until it's born.
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This is devastating and beautiful.