I wish I could write a poem
That made everyone want
To create something
A poem so easy to remember
That you never forgot it
That would offer comfort to
Those who grieve from loss
That would heal the heartbreak
Moreover, take away the tears and ache
A poem that made you like poetry
Burn inside, to write your own poem
I wish I had the words to describe
The possible futures, instead of the past
A poem that would last, not simply disappear
A poem, which would communicate all
The terrible suffering of poor peoples
I wish I could write a poem
That would make the whole world weep
Shudder with wracks of sadness and
Hug each other in long eloquent hugs
That could capture and seize
All the wounds we carry forward
Urging us to heal and move onward
I wish I had more courage to write
For all of you, and not always me
To see past the trees into the forest
I wish I had the strength to write
To overcome, all of our shame, to
Enunciate our self-humiliation
That which paralyzes rebels
I wish I could write a poem
To apologize to mother Earth
Also, share her agony with us
A poem that finds you in your desolation
Finds you in addiction, during self-mutilation
Finds you when you give up on everything
I wish I could find the essence
Of our humanity so we could see it
In ourselves, and in everyone else
I wish I could write about
The optimism of all us, even in
The reality of life’s shit and piss
I wish I could write a poem
That aroused your brain and
Made the whole world orgasm
That found someone somewhere
Needing human touch, needing a kiss
Craving contact, this poem would
Rub the shoulders of your back
I wish I could write a poem
Filled with joy and celebration
That could make the world smile
A poem worth billions of dollars
So, that I could fund the movements
A poem that took away all the debts
I wish I could put words together in a way
That would call out your name
In the moment of despondency and terror
or simply when you missed someone
I wish I could write a poem
That repaired all the bridges we burned
Telling us to hold each other closer
A poem that made the rich quake
Speaking to power, confronting authority
A poem that raised goose bumps on
The arms of the working multitudes
That could explain freedom and alienation
Utopias and permanent revolution
A poem that would raise class-consciousness
That was not too dogmatic and condescending
I wish I could write a poem that was
So beautiful people would love themselves
A poem so generous and sympathetic
That we stopped being greedy and selfish
So horrifying, we saw war for what is was
A poem that told of the violence
Towards women, children, and Queer folks
I wish I had the words to tell you I loved you
To tell you that we can make it all better
I wish I could write a poem
That meant something to someone
Forgiving someone of something
This poem would have the power
To destroy everything and to create everything
I wish I could write a poem that would
Crush everything and let go of everything
A poem that described to each other the
Lives of bacteria, viruses, and the smallest life
A poem that the whales and dolphins liked
Something that the coral reefs did not hate
A poem that made the rains ponder falling up
Or the volcano to implode, the tornado not to spin
I wish I could write a poem that showed
That the emperor was naked
A poem that grew the trees tall and wide again
About the past, future, and present at the same time
A poem that made the
Ants and bees stop their toil for a moment
That awoke the cicadas and locusts all at once
I wish I could write a poem that
Exposed and put the army of shadows to rest
A poem that illuminated the shadow armies of death
That
taught the map of the world
And
the names of us all to each other
Every
town, every city, every person
A poem that made no statement
That came after, end with a question mark?
I wish I could write a poem
That touched you somewhere, someplace
Enough to give it to someone else
What is a poem that cannot do of one these things?
If one poem cannot do all these things
I must write a million poems
