i have been thinking a lot about borders and boundaries. borders are unnatural lines imposed by humans on lands, in bodies of water that taste like tears, between each other, used to justify all manner of destruction. for borders, you will let grandmothers and babies die.
but boundaries? to survive the onslaught of horrible news i am weeping daily, i am feeling my despair and continuing to write and work and be radical and advance radical ideas with everyone i love, everyone i meet. and i know i must have boundaries around my time and attention as i learn to live in this reality and keep adapting and moving towards liberation.
how do you survive the future when it comes without air, frantic, wrong headed?
learn the difference between boundaries and borders.
like so:
boundary 1.
we need a universe between you and life
you harm us
you say our miracle
is less than yours
i know you do not believe it
you are obsessed with our magic
and you cannot contain us
border 1.
there is no separation
between in breath and out
in tide and out
sun coming up and then giving in to night
but you want to build a wall
border 2.
you exploded my life
but when i brought my babies to your door
you would not answer
because i call god by another name
this shows me
you cannot comprehend god
boundary 2.
i need to turn off the flood
but i do not know how
when i look away it doesn’t stop
when i face it
i can’t breathe for raging
i need lung flesh, a brand new liver and snake skin
i need, every day, dry land
boundary 3.
you want to take everything
and be safe
you only think of now
we cannot have you here
while we speak of tomorrow
border 3.
we think we are free
that is why we let you build walls around us
boundary 4.
we are supposed to be ready for this moment
prepared by our ancestors
but they learned to live in the living
and so will we
testing the abundant nature of love
we pull the edges of our hearts so thin
trying to cover the world
from you
border 4.
this is a lie
it isn’t in the soil
it isn’t in the river
it isn’t in our blood
this is unnatural
border 5.
i am made of words
but if paper is how you police us
i say burn it all
boundary 5.
we are made of spirit
we are made of light
when you pummel us, we heal everyone
when you tear us open,
we show everyone
the way to freedom