Lonely Christopher

Protection Spell

Save the vulnerable from the ruthless,
expose the manipulative liars for their true aims,
recenter the discourse accordingly,
banishing brainwashed rhetoric presupposing supremacy.
Kill fathers if you must, sever ties with those who don’t serve you.
Confront destructive accumulation, expropriation, and greed,
which to grow requires a disunified, distracted citizenry,
make banks and economists fear something real.
Strike down oppressive concepts before they institutionalize,
involve yourself in the fabric of your community,
look around and understand how society functions,
and do the work to create the context
where we can have some small faith in the system again.
Rebuild what you destroy, instead of casting blame,
take ownership of your mistakes and miscalculations,
take others into consideration when making decisions,
take yourself seriously, but don’t sweat the small stuff.
Risk platitudes but avoid fallacious misinformation,
do your research, express yourself, take pride.
Talk about what they are doing to you,
acknowledge what you are taking part in,
see beyond your immediate desires yet insist on your value.
Don’t let your value get in the way of your growth.
Caress the untouched and embrace the unloved,
welcome those who arrive from arduous journeys.
Discover justice through your interactions with others,
appreciate life despite or because of its meaninglessness.

Lonely Christopher is the author of five books, most recently the poetry collections In a January Would and the 10th anniversary reissue of Death & Disaster Series, and is the founding creative director of Inter Poets Theater, managing director of the Segue Foundation, and an editor for Roof Books