Bearing Witness

I write of masked men, zip-tied children,
Liam with his bunny hat—the schoolgirls–

I write of kidnappings, deportations,
and renditions—concentration camps—
though no yellow stars sewn to coats—not yet.

I write of billionaires getting richer,
the hypocrisy, the corruption, a ballroom, the slush fund–

a Supreme Court only in name, not quality,

the failing healthcare system, the lack of
oversight, loyalty to one man, ignorance, cleavage with a cross.

I write of wars as distraction, disinformation, of Epstein files
and predators, of follow the money, of coverups—

but I think of trees older than me,
and the nearby river—bearing witness, too–

robins, mockingbirds, sparrows singing of love,
for love, there is still love

under fresh-washed blue
bees buzz, roses bloom, a couple holds hands,

but there will be no cherries, nectarines, peaches,
or apples this year—freak heat and freak frost, our climate lost.

A little girl plays hopscotch, dogs bark and wag from yards,

a cry in the dark, words into cyberspace—I write

too much, not enough,
something.

This is a poem I wrote for Poems About on Bluesky. And this is my first attempt at a video. I’ll get better. 😂I thought this was a poem that should be heard, and I thought I’d try to give people something to look at, too. Sharing this with dVerse Open Link.