unsimple

||:

​no, Now is not simple,
​Forward will not be either; 
we exist in a new time.

before we rush back into Familiar,
let's stop.
​
​what do we want to revive from Familiar?

do we want mountains behind their usual curtain of Smog?
invisible for who knows how many future generations.

do we want cars to Rule city and rural existence as the easiest way to travel?
when building creative means of affordable public infrastructure
would help people and our dying planet.

do we want to ensure Social ME-dia becomes our "best friend"?
genuine connection and privacy be damned.

when we are allowed within six feet of one another,
when movie theatres, malls, and restaurants flood with patrons,
how will we use that space?

we currently Whine about how Bored we are, 
needing a constant fix of TV, movies, and other distractions.
we talk about Outside in hushed tones; ("Nature!")
but we scream: "get those factories chugging plumes of smoke again!"

"we Need the Work!"
​even though the Familiar system wasn't working for everyone;
hundreds to thousands applied for Each Job.
after all, we shout: "We need the work!"
(not: "Everyone deserves fulfilling, sustainable employment!")

so, can we create a more just world?
​
even now,
​as we are being asked to stay two meters apart,
we storm elevators and beaches,
we fan out across paths in a blockade
demanding: "You Move, Not Me!"

respecting others is Hard,
because "Me" is the most important word in the dictionary;
we are terrified of what a reduction in its prominence would entail.

when pollution starts suffocating nature once more,
when commuters exhaust themselves in rush hour again,
and we get back to posting irresponsible selfies from precipices around the world,
maybe we will miss
This Unsimple Now,
if for nothing else
​but it's visceral examination of a broken Familiar,
daring Us to dream better.

:||

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