Blue State

I originally wrote this on November 9th, 2016. Still relevant, I guess.

I thought about not coming in to work today,
But then I remembered that I am a straight, white man
and have nothing to fear.
I thought about moving back to Belgium,
The country I grew up in and still call home,
Not because I have to
or even because I want to,
Not because I have a job lined up
or even know
what I would do
when I got there,
But because I was angry.
So instead, I went to work today,
In a blue state
Because angry white men will destroy this country
if we let them
(and maybe even if we don’t)
So I have a responsibility
As a straight white man
who has a job
who has a supportive family
who is in good health
To do what I can to break this cycle,
to be in the thick of it, the thicker and thicker it gets,
to use my voice
unfairly made louder than many that are better
As an echoing chamber
for messages of hope
for powerful diatribes
for attempts at edicts that call for manners
No matter how feeble
For there are things that are said about power
about great responsibility
about absolute corruption
And I will err on the side of compassion
every time.