“at the end of the day, remember” a poem

I wrote this poem the morning following the election. The results were saddening, scary, but unfortunately unsurprising. I was hopeful––really, I was––but hope only goes so far. I wrote this poem in my bed, at 6:29, in the Notes app on my phone. It is a simple reminder that we must support one another in order to survive and thrive under the new normal of the incoming administration. We musn’t fall vulnerable to the prejudice, injustice, and tactics of politicians to try and police every facet of society. We must remain together. I hope you’ll find meaning in my words below.

November 6, 2024 at 6:29 AM

at the end of the day, remember

we are all in this together.

it may feel isolating to sit on your phone,

or watching your tv screen alone in your

house.

looking at the washes of red and waves of

blue float across the maps.

seeing the graphics projecting something

in large bold lettering.

it may feel defeating when a blue heart

emoji isn’t enough, when your favorite

celebrity says to vote and still they don’t.

it may feel like those we love are far away

on this night of all nights, but

communities, asynchronous or otherwise,

flourish in times of trial.

we are all in this together.

waking up this morning with puffy eyes

and read cheeks from crying the night

before is going to hurt.

and that’s okay.

but remember, so many of us were sitting

on our couches or in our beds anxiously

awaiting any news, good or bad.

and in a weird way, although we were

physically apart, we all felt the same

feelings and experienced the same experience.

elections are scary – recent elections even more so-

they are embarrassing, infuriating, and saddening.

truly, democracy is on the cusp of

collapse. he’s stated it and he’ll state it again.

but democracy does not exist

without the people.

and as long as we are still here, presently

fighting and holding up the backs of one another

day in and day out, the notion of

“the people” is still alive.

the next four years are going to feel wild.

they are going to rip us apart and mend us

back.

but at the end of the day, take one inhale

and one exhale with me and remember:

we’re all in this together.