Monday ~ April 13, 2020

I know there is something better down the road.
We need to find a place where we are safe.
We walk into that which we cannot yet see.
Say it plain: that many have died for this day.
Sing the names of the dead who brought us here,
who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges,
picked the cotton and the lettuce
built brick by brick the glittering edifices
They would then keep clean and work inside of.
Praise song for struggle, praise song for the day.
Praise song for every hand-lettered sign.
the figure-it-out at kitchen tables.
Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself,
others by first do no harm or take no more than you need.
What if the mightiest word is love?
Love beyond marital. filial, national,
love with casts a widening pool of light,
live with no need to pre-empt grievance.
In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air,
any thing+ can be made, any sentence begun.
on the brink, on the brim, on the cusp,
praise song for walking forward in that light.

(Elizabeth Alexander, b. 1962)