Begin Again

 

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The world as we knew it
has become unrecognizable,
when trucks with trump flags
try to run the Biden bus
off the road and trump,
with fatherly affection,
muses "what a group!"
So pleased.

Armed men stand outside polling booths
intimidating those trying to exercise 
their basic right to vote.
"Freedom", but only for the right,
not the rest of us.

We could not, with our normal minds,
begin to make up how bizarre and fascist
America has become
under the flourishing
(and presidential encouraging)
of the racist right.

The vault of darkness and hatred
has been opened wide; how will
we get the evil genies 
back into their bottle?

But something will be born from this.
I believe in the American people,
the vast majority of whom do not accept
the current reality. 

I will not forget a single step
of this journey, as, one foot after the other,
I walked farther away from hope and peace
than I have ever been, and then
turned back. My sense of justice
won't allow me to surrender
to all that is so wrong.

Meanwhile, I lift my eyes to the blue sky,
to the bigger world that exists
beyond the touch of human lunacy,
a world that will outlast us,
whether we awaken and rise up,
or succumb to environmental collapse
and allow the earth mother to
take a deep breath and simply
Begin Again.

Inspired by "Setting Forth" by Mary Oliver and Wild Writing with Laurie Wagner. The italicized line is hers. Hard to find the words these days. I am holding my breath till the election, with my last shred of hope, appalled as vans draped in trump flags tried to run Biden's bus off the road. Whatever the results, we are in for some tough times,  given the unleashed and emboldened racist right. trump, so pleased with his supporters. Putin must be well satisfied at what a good job trump is doing of destroying the country from within - and all trump's enablers are just as guilty. Good luck on the 3rd - to all of us.

At earthweal Brendan is exploring what it feels like to have a green mind in mad times. I live that reality every single day. But I do believe in the American people, most of whom know North America can be so much better than this - because it has been, and can be again, once we get past this unending shit-show.