You are not alone
We want this to ring in the temple of one voice
A choir of one throat
But in the trenches of empire it only explodes
Only burns, an echo in robes
The uniform of the quietest war ever fought
The raiment of a religion of whispering no
You are not alone and are utterly alone
At once, and twice, someone told you
You were beautiful and should smile more
And it was a sermon like a branding iron on your cheek
You have proven you have
No idea what no means
So let us discuss yes
Let us discuss space and who it belongs to
Let us discuss the yes of mornings spent in eyes
Let us discuss the slick of yes, the craning neck
To see the yes born of you, the yes grown from you
Like a knowing hibiscus filled with
The wines of yes in its roselle cups
Let us discuss the phases of yes like a new moon
That does not know its orbit or name
Then let us discuss it all like we do not know
Anything about ourselves
Explain it to us again. Yes, once more
Let us discuss how the way we speak to this
Is all between-channel static
And noise made white from scrubbing away its truth
Until it gleamed with agenda and circumstance
And all the blindness of the hungry score
Let us peel back that moment
When you said what you said and did what you did
Take the onion skin down to rind
Down to tear and salt suck and
The umami of a braised ego
Peel and peel again to the quick
To the meat, to the heart, to the time
When you were where you want me to be
When you were what you want me to be
A divining rod that only knows the heat of no
When you were me too
And you hid it, kept it like a ring of Hell on your finger
Married it, live with it, growing in hate with it
Seeing it as you see them all now
There is no Virgil to guide you
No Charon coin needed to cross
When all the world bends to you
You need no guide, no tour, no path
Everywhere you step is the way of man
And man is in every step of the way
Let us walk into the place where
Every man is a missile and a landmine and a
River of species and kiss and clutching
Let us walk into the armory of patriarchy
And pick petals from its bullet belts and treads
Mottled with the open arms of all the women
It has conquered
Let us walk there, now, tomorrow
You can never be late
Let us walk anywhere
You can never be late to a place that is always open
That is always working
A minefield never sleeps
We want this to ring in the temple of one voice
A choir of one throat
But in the trenches of empire it only explodes
Only burns, an echo in robes
The uniform of the quietest war ever fought
The raiment of a religion of whispering no
You are not alone and are utterly alone
At once, and twice, someone told you
You were beautiful and should smile more
And it was a sermon like a branding iron on your cheek
You have proven you have
No idea what no means
So let us discuss yes
Let us discuss space and who it belongs to
Let us discuss the yes of mornings spent in eyes
Let us discuss the slick of yes, the craning neck
To see the yes born of you, the yes grown from you
Like a knowing hibiscus filled with
The wines of yes in its roselle cups
Let us discuss the phases of yes like a new moon
That does not know its orbit or name
Then let us discuss it all like we do not know
Anything about ourselves
Explain it to us again. Yes, once more
Let us discuss how the way we speak to this
Is all between-channel static
And noise made white from scrubbing away its truth
Until it gleamed with agenda and circumstance
And all the blindness of the hungry score
Let us peel back that moment
When you said what you said and did what you did
Take the onion skin down to rind
Down to tear and salt suck and
The umami of a braised ego
Peel and peel again to the quick
To the meat, to the heart, to the time
When you were where you want me to be
When you were what you want me to be
A divining rod that only knows the heat of no
When you were me too
And you hid it, kept it like a ring of Hell on your finger
Married it, live with it, growing in hate with it
Seeing it as you see them all now
There is no Virgil to guide you
No Charon coin needed to cross
When all the world bends to you
You need no guide, no tour, no path
Everywhere you step is the way of man
And man is in every step of the way
Let us walk into the place where
Every man is a missile and a landmine and a
River of species and kiss and clutching
Let us walk into the armory of patriarchy
And pick petals from its bullet belts and treads
Mottled with the open arms of all the women
It has conquered
Let us walk there, now, tomorrow
You can never be late
Let us walk anywhere
You can never be late to a place that is always open
That is always working
A minefield never sleeps
( Jennifer Jolley )
www.ChordsAZ.com