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.