the moment we feared
but did not name
has come—
delivered in a slow, grinding turn.
am i dreaming?
sleepwalking?
in the round ‘em up
to special prisons they go—
an echo resounds:
look, the common enemy,
and oh my god—
no one is safe.
just walk with me, please,
until i find my footing.
hold my hand—
i swear i won’t let go.
we’ll feel our way
through the dark.
dehumanization tightens its noose.
now the norm.
called strength.
used to divide,
to harm,
to strip away our faith.
i’ve always loved my country.
when did it stop loving me?
how do we move forward?
how do we reclaim
kindness, decency—
the good?
soldiers in our streets—
thank you for your service.
but when the service
is to target
blue votes
brown skin—
what then?
we have pivoted—
from democracy to autocracy.
tell me what to do.
tell me how to fight
the peaceful fight—
and don’t let go of my hand.
no protection.
just provocation.
just politics.
salvation is a long road
and the antidote is speaking out.
blue versus red.
red versus blue.
inflammation,
fear of a government
with rabid need
for destruction.
so—
i will go to a place
where i can help someone.
it doesn’t matter where or how.
keep humanity alive
through service
and the practice of love.
make noise.
make mercy.
make art.
make change.
the institutions are broken.
we
are what’s left.
Dear and precious reader, I’ve been shaken to my core watching the military be called into our streets. And I know that California is not the last place that this will happen, it is just the first. More important than the president, more important than the courts is the American citizen. Fate is in our hands. Peacefully push back. That is the call. Hold onto my hand. I’ll hold onto yours. The coming days have arrived and we all have to stay awake and do our part. Love those around you with all your might. Teach and model how to take a stand but stay centered in your heart. Not easy instructions, and it is the work ahead. Let’s reclaim our democracy one peaceful step at a time.
Who holds your hand in the dark? What does peaceful resistance look like to you? Let’s have a conversation.
"so—
i will go to a place
where i can help someone.
it doesn’t matter where or how.
keep humanity alive
through service
and the practice of love."
So important that this is part of the equation. Thank you for reminding us.
Stephanie - Your words, and action, express the courage of someone who refuses to go numb and that isn't an easy thing to do given the conditions in the country. You’ve given voice to a feeling so prevelent within so many of us: the disorientation, the heartbreak, the dread for a country that feels like it’s slipping out of our grasp. And yet, in the very act of naming it and putting language and words around the fear, the longing, to be able to resolve, you offer a lifeline. A way to stay human in inhuman times and that is oftentimes exactly what we struggle to hang onto and offer ourselves hope with in regard to the human condition.
On my end, I’ll take your hand. I’ll walk with you. And like you, I’ll keep choosing love, service and the slow practice of reclaiming decency in the face of despair. How can we do otherwise. So thank you for your unwavering heart and your call to remain awake. We are what’s left and what we do now matters more than ever.