The Day After Tomorrow

I wanted to share this poem I wrote in the days after the election written with that cautious hope that I carry into this new year. hmmmm, to have written this about such a joyous night in Oakland and now the people are taking to the streets for a very different reason. And in a few days I will be in DC still with my cautious heart, open to the excitement and present in the moment, ready to dialogue with people from across the nation about our desires for a peoples inauguration and a people's presidency. love love love. MC


The Day After Tomorrow


Elections equal no hope status quo in my history
history of stolen elections
intimidations
forced votes
short term delights for a long term of empty promises

What does it even mean to hope for the future?
lift the burden of clay water jugs
amassed on your head
pushing down on your spine
crushing circulation
never resting to take a drink
carrying to a place that doesn’t exist on the map.

with that laundry list growing
of needs to change
needs to lift off
back pain sprinting down calves
up between blades buried knots in shrug of shoulders
head barely lifts up to the sky anymore.

This is the hopelessness seeping in

another friends’ family separated
how does this happen?
man made war torn limitations
families hopes dashed behind the hyphen
left for dead on borders in deserts from disregarded altitudes
haunted by the nameless stories hang heavy
noose arteries clogged
reacting to another disappointment

On this night the night before
eyes smiling watching everything
catching myself
open to the hoping
hoping to see something in between polls and pundits
still cautious but heart unbolted a crack to see some transformation
multi hued
this worldly rainbow man I see some of my own reflection in
recognizes the burdens of the past
reflects back our responsibility
walking beside
La Michelle
community organizer
with his postage stamp face
replace scar face and RIP T-shirts
on young brown and black kids in my neighborhood

I still hesitant to put faith towards politricks

On this night before
I can’t sleep
I want to experience each tick tock
and record the minutes with my tape recorder eyes
what it feels like
to hope like a wise young soul again
faith in change
release some of that burden dragging gaze down blocking hopes for the future
dignity in the struggle
getting a piece of peace for once

On this night the night has finally come
friends gather in the community that gave us space to discover
hopeful, confident even
hugging people I barely know
marking the moment in love
in the darkness behind the wonder

anything could still go wrong

eruptions at each vote count.

then silence.
the screen that reports our destiny
fills with a dark seal
plain letters
unclear what is
or might be wrong
the talking heads and crawling headlines have ceased.

A scream.
A full body eruption.
slowly first then smatters and crowd catches fever.
He won?
streams of tears and eyes and arms connect.
this moment shared with friends family and community witnesses.
we found hope today.
we cry and scream and watch family of four take over the white house.
our reflection up there.

Will this mean candy will start to grow from trees?
will the struggling many, community organizers and conscious poets
automatically find more money in their accounts?
will lovers have the choice to commit or not to commit
no matter the shape of their bodies?
will the dead rejoin the living and teach us forgiveness?

He speaks our name and
acknowledges the past and
invites us into the future.

Si se puede?
total release
joy in the streets
young black man says with cracking voice:
my president is
a black man.
My
president?

Today we bask in the historical glow.
Tomorrow we roll up our sleeves and take back our destiny.

©2008 Maya Chinchilla