January 20th, A Poem. #womensmarch #inauguration #resistance #feminism

January 20th

While the False Man blustered, and ranted;
while he mis-used words like great
And made empty promises that hung on the cold air
Like icicles only to melt away like ghosts;
a woman walked across the street to give
Food to a needy neighbor, check on the old
Help a friend with tired and hungry kids
Held a hand and mopped up broken tears
A man paused as he walked, reached into pockets
Walked back a 100 yards to give what little he had
To the man who had even less, and shared a smile
That said, I love you and I see you
A child stood up to the bullies in her class
Because they used words adults have made common
And she shielded the outsider, the smaller
The scared from their anger and their hate.
And millions of hats bobbed up and down as they marched
And millions of banners waved in the night
And millions of candles were held in defiant hand
And chains of love and hope and decency and progress
Were woven again and again and again until
When the Fake Men pushed the vulnerable over the edge
A safety net caught them and a million hands set them
Gently on their feet, to rise again.

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