never not once in poetry

The world’s never
not once ever been changed for the better by an “is”.
Our fates as women and men
as individuals and as a species
hang off the limbs of ten million “shoulds”.

We do not live and love and grow together
as a human race on the power of “what is”
we kill and die and mourn for “what is”
we oppress and worship over “what is”
we stagnate and hate over “what is”
what can save us is
“what if”.

When someone says
“you have to just accept it”
what they mean is
“the way that this is awful works for me
so don’t rock the boat of my own privilege”
they’re saying
“I’m fine pretending we only have what is”
but they’re wrong.

Believe in “should”
don’t go for “what works”
go for what’s good
we can change!
we can be strange!
we can for the sake of compassion and love
mutate and rearrange!
Leaves fall in the autumn
so spring can bring buds
our insides keep cycling
new air and new blood
that’s how you stay alive
that’s how you can possibly thrive!

We don’t have to let what’s stable
but awful just stand
we can rise in the streets
we can work up a plan
we can.
We can!

The past is a dream dimly remembered
the present is ten million futures untempered
we can select which futures to dash
which we can tender for embers
we can get there if we care.

The world’s never
not once ever been changed for the better by an “is”.
Fuck “is” and fuck “could”.
Fuck “works” and fuck “would”.
Rise up together to a future of
“should”.
We can still do good.