By: Linda M Crate

i am sick of living in constant fear
of everyone threatening
the end of the world
i want to live not simply exist,
and i want to achieve my dreams
just because they’ve given up on themselves
doesn’t mean we’re all ready to go;
so sick of closing my eyes and finding some
other terror to wake up to—

just want to be able to feel the peace and security
of knowing that i am safe,
but i have not felt that since the election results
everyone is threatened inside this country now and even outside
where does the madness end and the healing begin?
i am so tired, so exhausted
of these aching bones
i only want winter to end to give way to spring
to taste the flowers and feel the warmth
for birdsong to spare my heart all this breaking;

i want all of this shrieking in my ears
all these errors of diplomacy
to stop
because it all becomes too much to think about
no one wants to speak of these scary things
truth is sacred but everyone prefers the pretty lies
i just want to be able to close my eyes
knowing when i wake there is no threat of death.