You Showed Up Late To The Revolution

by Madeleine Celeste

Something about helping your mother do the dishes
Because you may never get the chance to change the whole world,
But to each of us, we are our own worlds,
And so we have granted immeasurable joy to at least one parallel universe.

So my sincere apologies for showing up late to the revolution,
Homemade peanut sauce and patchwork tote bag in hand,
I was busy doing my dishes, saving my entire (godless-goddamned) little world
But fuck if I’m not really ready to save the big world.

Fuck if I’m not ready to put handfuls of dirt in my mouth
And spit them out like a machine gun in The Man’s face,
Then wake up the walkable streets with loud colors of
Every flag under the burning evening sun,
And kiss a woman right as the brass bands and fireworks erupt
So it tastes like street food and victory and passion and
Dirt and laughter and tomorrow and the day after that.

I’m scared that by the time I turn around to face the big world
The sky will be shadows and the flags will be tattered
And the streets will be snakelike and the woman I intended to love
Will be dead on the asphalt.