The morning started with talk of home/deli delicious home/to still my cravings/to fill that empty cavernous wailing/I took a small walk/a small bite/astoundingly/it was just enough

I cannot find a picture of the anger/that bludgeoned my childhood/the fear that taught some deep part of me to hide/there is no mask clever enough to reveal that pain/I can picture one such bench/ where I wait/ for healing/healing that is/even now/on the way

I vote/remembering the ancestors/witnessing the rise of nullification/all over again/and when did it really change/secure in the knowledge/that courage and truth makes my life possible/I cannot drive/I walk/with every step a prayer/passing people with the same intent tread/I puzzle the ballot/grateful I always did well on standardized tests/I check and recheck my work/my work which may in fact be devoured by corruption and apathy/my work which may in fact be denied Justice/ my work which is an offering and a prayer before the ancestors/who made a way out of no way for us/an offering and a prayer for freedom and justice/when so many have given so much/how could I be still/there’s still time/get up

Sunshine has many forms/captured light/warmth/a riot of color/the touch of your hand/just knowing/you are near

Something about the relationship/with a refugee baby/makes it possible to trudge/through pain and fear/singing to myself/to my love/to my God/you are not alone/to wrap in starlight/the gift/the only gift that avails

For all the saints/they rest/from their labors/and their works/stream over oceans/traverse continents/live uneasily/for all the saints/never were and never are/perfected