Again, Perhaps

Again, we have selected an immigrant’s 
Grandchild, someone with complex business
Dealings and a felony conviction on appeal,
To be our official national leader.

Again, we have projected our individual 
And collective traumas–slavery, violence
Internal, external, and systemic–
Across time zones and borders.

Perhaps too few of us have yet realized that
Pursuing greatness through vengeance
Will, sooner or later, be revealed
To be the basest form of pettiness.

Perhaps too few of us have yet relearned
That nature, however harsh she may seem
During pandemics, blizzards, floods, or fires, is
Also healing when we show respect and pay attention.