Through the Spirit

I remove the mouse I have held in my mouth,
(I think I cut the cord)
birth of the small animal of introspection into the world,
where, you know, there is no controlling where it will go.
It’s a beginning
of saying what I see as true,
without oppressing.
Fancy balancing act.

Social media can be the halls of high school.
Careful, careful.
Defence of identity is all around.
Words are not the same as actions,
but thinking them
and saying them
and writing them
are actions.


What is liberal?
What is conservative?
Is liberal giving voice to the other,
the uncomfortable flamboyant,
or the meek struggler?
Is conservative one who proclaims certainty
while rejecting contradictory data,
defends the family
while giving some members more power and value than others?
Is liberal fiscal responsibility?
Is conservative fiscal responsibility?
Is liberal permissiveness and fear of being called regressive?
Is conservative punitive, sadistic policy?
Is liberal keeping things the same while pretending to change?
Is conservative keeping things the same while enriching only some?
Is liberal exploring new systems?
Is conservative denying the need for new systems?
Is liberal coming to the aid using government systems?
Is conservative saying aid should be given
only through private and community systems?

And liberal and conservative in politics are not the same
as the words on their own.
They are modes of thinking.
They are modes of acting.
They are useful in the timing of their acting.

What people mean when they say these words
needs to be clarified
for any sense to be made,
for acts of unity to be supported,
for reconciliation of past misunderstandings,
for sustainable community,
for deliverance from manipulation
by those who wield the words
to separate us with fear.