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My Country On Fire
two universes with two lands and two morals
two hopes, two fears, two thoughts
two tweets, two captions, two opinions
two lands located in the same region
that feel planets apart
no bridges connecting them
and the ocean continues to expand
the tides continue to rise
and now, i can’t see the other land
i wonder what it feels like to free fall
“get along” and “work together” are the phrases we use so often
we used to emphasize hard work and kindness
but there’s a drain in the ocean
the dissolved oxygen in the ocean is decreasing
and the west is burning
and the climate is changing like the leaves in fall
we are falling to the ground
out of control like the virus
but we can’t swim
in my city, you can either “sink or swim”
sink and fall
or swim when the wind is strong
we’ve split into red and blue
where is the america i loved?
empathy
kindness
equal rights
intentions
thoughts
respect
the news plays through our minds
like the song we listened to once and that can’t seem to get out of our head
how do you ignore the chaos that surrounds you?
i’ve been told to “wear blinders”
how do you wear blinders when you watch your country split?
and see a judge get nominated
while you feel like you’re in the middle of the ocean
because you’re seventeen?
you’re a “dancing queen,” but you can’t dance to the melodies being played
how do you feel like you’re in history when you can’t even cast a ballot?
and how do you not cry when you see a judge that could turn the tables?
how do we find enough water to get rid of the fires?
because only .3 percent of that water is usable
and the trees are disappearing
the animals are weeping silently
we can’t seem to get out of our one-dimensional views.
and, sometimes, i wonder if we ever were 3-D to begin with.
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