wave it like a white flag, surrendering
with handshakes and smiles
so civil
project upon it red and blue patriotism
stars like ordnance exploding
stripes like prison bars
(truth, held captive)
parade it like a memory
celebrating men who slaughtered brothers
to enslave
(sense, held captive)
whisper, like wind whipping fabric:
the emperor’s new flag still has no colors
whisper, like rending garments:
the problem is not one man, elected
the problem is a tyrannous minority who sustains him
the problem is small men chasing votes
stuffing our futures
like paper scraps into ballot boxes
(humanity, held captive)
wave the white lie, blank as a black screen
like electronic voting machines swallowing code
returning unverifiable results
the next war will not be civil
READ MORE
Lawmakers force Trump to formally condemn white supremacists [Politico]
Baltimore officers won’t face federal civil rights charges in Freddie Gray’s death, Justice Department concludes [Washington Post]
Anna Kander is a writer in the Midwest. Her work is published or forthcoming in journals including Social Justice Poetry, I am Not a Silent Poet, and Dear Damsels.
Editorial art by Elle Aviv Newton.
