In the month that becomes with a celebration of our dead, 

what else ends besides the saving of the daylight? 

One year in. Where are you in the 11th hour? And whom?

Stop making sense, and do it here. The Stay Project. threepoets2017@gmail.com

3

not your doormat

you can know

a person without

knowing them

people always reveal

who they are

in the heartbeat of your troubles

some leave you high and dry

taking all you have to give

without apology or thanks

i always fall for their vulnerability

think them human before they

prove themselves to be monsters

i guess i had to transform into

a creature who had both flowers and thorns

before some realized my kindness

was no weakness,

and i do not apologize for it;

i am a warrior of love and light

not the mat left beside the door to be

walked all over or carry all your mud and dirt

absorbing it all without complaint.

2

fighting for things

as the seasons change

so must i

couldn't remain the girl

who was silent as a prayer

had to make my voice heard

because i haven't been able to sleep

very well since this election

even in my sleep i knew something was off

woke to find a nightmare had come true

i still don't know how it happened,

but i am no longer scared;

will fight for myself and others whose rights

are in question and threatened

because we have a right to exist and we will persist

no one deserves to die or be judged

because of their gender, sexuality, ability or disability,

religion, race, or any other excuse

they can come up with

to hate someone;

it makes me ill how some people don't seem to realize

we're regressing not making progress

fighting for things we ought not have to fight for anymore.

1

1 - IC

2 - linda m. crate

3 - linda m. crate