THE GODDESS OF SHOWING UP
–for Mohini Sharma
Mohini, our shining star
a slayer of demons long before we met
& don’t get sweet or humble like you do
I checked Wikipedia & it’s the second paragraph under your LEGENDS
& you might tell me I’m mistaken
that I was looking at the Goddess
I assure you
I looked at The Goddess when I saw you
I learned your name thereby I learned hers
the glory of magic, of illusion, of truth!
beckoning us into the Maya we share
no way out but through
as above so below
as within so without
never broken by the truth
like the way the forge sees the value of will
flowing through this destructive dance
the body of our polity aching
this too is magic, is illusion, is truth
what else could a Goddess do but show up for the work?
not one single soul in this world is alone.
bereft, we began building equity in our hearts
we went out into the streets with cries for justice
the swell rising like our selfsame ocean of sorrow
our arctic traumas breaking away into the waters in big chunks
the faces of a thousand allies breaking up on the shore
the screams fading into the hushhush waves on sand
as it is our future it is our history
you sit on the bluff & your cry is like the last eagle
Mohini, our shining star, touch your own head
reduce the demons of our burnout to ashes
illuminate the night sky with hope.
We’re here for it.