This is not the poem I hoped to write today. This is not the post I hoped to write today. But if you’re like me, you’ve been in a very dark place since Donald Trump’s electoral victory over Kamala Harris. And as depressing as the past two days have been, the reality is that we’re on our own, and we’ll have to look out for each other more than ever.
Authoritarians fail. Remember, the Third Reich was supposed to last 1,000 years and only lasted 12. Progress also triumphs eventually. Same-sex marriage was given an overwhelming defeat in 2004 and was the law of the land in 2015.
That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, and it doesn’t mean that we don’t feel betrayed. And it doesn’t mean that we forget or forgive. And that’s the subject of this poem, titled “Election”.
If this poem resonates with you, please share it with anyone in your circle. We need each other more than ever.
Election
You said you would be there Through thick and through thin You were there for the losses As well as the wins I knew I could trust you That you had my back You’d always protect me From any attack Took care of each other When things would get hard True love and acceptance Was our calling card But then came the day that You went into the booth And after that moment I saw the whole truth You never did love me Your care for me slim Because when I needed you most Instead you chose him. “Nothing bad happened last time!” Said on your soapbox I guess that you’ve forgotten The million lives lost The rights that he threatened Through four years of pain The costs of his errors All right down the drain Because I didn’t matter Not as much as your costs Cared more about groceries Than if I was lost I warned you about him The plans for my kind And you just ignored me Like I’d lost my mind You brushed off his speeches So that you’d help him win Because you couldn’t get past The color of her skin. Or maybe her gender Was what bothered you most Forget about the fact that He wants to make me a ghost. My life in the balance And you made your bet. Well, now that it’s happened I won’t let you forget. Because I won’t stop speaking Not while I’m still here Though you wish I wouldn’t I’ll hold up the mirror Because you can’t escape this This mess that you’ve made Someday you’ll find out Just how much you were played But when that day arrives For us, it’s too late With my rights on the ballot Instead you chose hate I don’t care what he promised Or if it was true At the end of the day You voted for you And so you can have him I hope that you learn That when it’s convenient Against you he’ll turn To him, you don’t matter You’re only a pawn Just another small cog In his decade-long con. Don’t try my direction When you need my voice It’s not here for you now Because you made your choice Maybe I’ll get past this Perhaps I’ll survive But no matter what happens Our friendship’s unalive You wouldn’t stand with me Jump in the same boat I didn’t ask for much Just wanted a vote A vote for my freedom To be my true self But you’d rather see me Put back on the shelf Because you don’t trust me To tell you the truth Though we’ve known each other All the way back to youth Because you believed him His fear and his lies And now you can’t stomach The pain in my eyes So I’m on my own now As far as you know But I’ve got my own friends Beneath the rainbow And they all stand with me What you wouldn’t do I don’t have to question If their friendship’s true You’ve shown your true colors And now I’ll show mine Next time, think more clearly When you stand in line Because someday you might need Help you wouldn’t give Someone to cast a vote To allow you to live And if that day does come I’d still take your side Because all should be free None should have to hide And that’s why this hurts me And that’s why I write We could have had sunshine Instead you chose night And so I’ll depart now Take care of my own Never forget you’ve shown me That you’re not my home But we’ll come back stronger We always survive With or without allies We keep hope alive.