Rise Up, a Poetry Project

24 Jan

I decided, the day of the inauguration, that I felt compelled to do more than just rant at a blank screen. I was reminded by a colleague that circumstances like these produce some of our greatest art… And so I thought why not add art, instead of just empty rage?

I make no pretense that this is “great art.” That said…

Every day, starting with the first full day of the Trump Administration, I’m going to write a new poem. These will be poems about suffering, resistance, rebellion, rage, grief, justice, hope, and despair… all the things that this horror-show of American politics makes me feel.

They are most likely terrible, but they are genuine. I hope that as I go, they will get better. Words have always been my weapons, my armor, and my salvation, so I am turning back to them now, hoping that there can be something good to come out of so much fear and disgust.

Sometimes, I will share them here. Most of the time, I won’t. I will keep a notebook, adding one more every day, until things get better or I run out of pages. I invite anyone else who would like to contribute words or thoughts of their own.