this is dismal
every day my intellect wanders the square frames, bombarded with information
do I leave my mind a sponge?
or do I make it a sieve?
is there a way to filter out the nonsense we’re stricken with?
have they developed a vaccine for the stupidity that’s running the country?
this is dismal
and yet…
the future is not a cutting board
so we keep falling in love
with the purity of the shade of pink our mountains bask in at sunset
and the way our houseplants keep growing new leaves
we keep falling in love
with the knowing smile of a stranger
with perfectly frothed milk in our coffees
with the soreness our bodies feel from raking the autumn leaves into big piles
smiles soaring through the air
cheeks flushed from the chill
picking fallen foliage from our daughters’ hair
yes it’s dismal
but the way through is to keep falling in love
they’re banking on our discouragement
lining their pockets with our grief and fear
but they will never have full control of us if we keep falling in love
how else will we fuel the fires of revolution?
how else will we remember why we fight?
let’s not forget