people waited and believed this time; their voices.
answer. we have never been individuals. we are,
and always will be, the answer that—that. tonight
we can put out our hands and bend them forwards.
once more. it’s been a long time, but tonight, we
all look forward. promise in the months ahead. want
this journey. campaigned and spoke. the streets train
home, and earned the new that’s coming. that debt
beyond. not hatched. draws strength. braves bitter doors,
stretches schools and churches. it grows up. rejected.
This victory. didn’t win. didn’t start. didn’t. But above all,
will never truly belong. belong. never for this. because
understand the enormity. even we know the challenges
that. we stand, the mountains risk, waking up in deserts.
– from A MORE PERFECT UNION: A SERIAL POEM (forthcoming)
