You said: You’re a woman of color. How can I support you? 
I said: Please join me in dismantling systems of harm. 
You said: Maybe later.
 
(Your later never arrived.) 

— 

I said: Will you be my ally? 
You said: Which do you love more—me or DEI? 

— 

I said: The masked men are here. 
You said: Yikes! I’m so sorry! 

(And then you went back to your life.) 

— 

I said: Black Lives Matter. 
You said: All Lives Matter. 
You said: I don’t see color. 
You said: That’s CRT wokeness. 
You said: Thoughts and prayers. 

—

I said: I will not mourn a white supremacist. 
You said: Wow. WOW. I thought you believed in empathy! 

— 

You said: We just have to wait it out. The midterms are coming. 
I said: We can’t. We must act now. 
You said: Tell me what to do then. 

(So I did. And you said nothing.) 

— 

I said: What happens when the masked men come back? 
You said: I’m on a social media break for my mental health. Please ask someone else. 

— 

I said: Free Palestine. 
You said: 

— 

You said: Trust me. 
I said: How can I? 
You said: I can’t believe you won’t trust me! None of us are perfect! 

I grieve. 
You shrug, you frown. 

I shut down.