Finding Radical Joy

In another world, I am afraid in somebody's basement, surrounded by the blink of purple strobe lights. My heart thumps erratically. The 2010s are so forgettable.

And in another world, I am crying because of the nation that decides trauma is the law of the land. I cry for the Earth, the air, the river waters. I cry for the loss of empathy from those who are no longer my fellow man. And I cry for the students who sit right next to me, theorizing whether or not they have a future in store.

But for just a little while, the joy finds me in this world. For example, I can watch the pink sky reflect off of the lake.

I can watch the big, bright moon, in a trance of awe. The car speeds down the highway. Splashes of mango and caffeinated soda electrify my tongue. I hold a lover's hand and it is warm even though the slight cold in the air nips our faces. Safety feels like a warm car seat, and Sabrina Carpenter on the radio. Love lights up my world.

Let's be unforgettable together. The future is actually quite bright, when it smashes into present day. Let's roam the park and forget the hands who grabbed us in the shadows of 2010s past. All the while, lets forget the ones reaching for us now, dragging us further into the past than what we can survive.

I will not go gentle into anyone's night.

Rather, I will kick and scream and make myself an unavoidable weather front that cannot be missed on a single radar sweeping this atmosphere.