While busily sending thoughts and prayers to those afflicted by tragedy and suffering
And liking the meme that perfectly encapsulates my political position while devastating the opposiiton
And hashtagging for the cause
And putting the trolls in their place in the comments section
And proclaiming the complexities of truth in one hundred forty characters or less . . .
I thought of you my lovelies
Always saying yes when the community called
Always ready to schlep the equipment or the sandbags or the tables or the supplies
Always there and always present
Always willing to listen to the pain
Always believing the result would appear at the end of the mess of human interaction
Always being for and not against . . .
When did I give up on that?
Merely a member of the army of snark
Reacting ever louder, ever angrier, ever agitated
To excuse my inaction
Like a fallen monk lighting myself afire every day
Merely to watch the flames
Unaware of what I’m burning for
2 Responses to “Deactivate”
Cindy Zimmerman
This is a wonderful poem, and I find myself repeating what I asked myself after streaming a series of “Hoarders” episodes: “I’m not that bad, am I?” vs. “Let’s look at the commonalities instead of the differences, okay?”
Shawn Crawford
As long as you reflect on who you are and what you want to continue to become, everything’s fine. That’s what I tell myself on lonely nights.