“We must love each other, respect each other and cherish our history and our future together.” 
          --Donald J. Trump, August 12, 2017


These histories we cannot cherish--don't
forget. You have to hoist Anchises and
his statues onto your aching shoulders. You won't
exactly leave the flames; this burning land
churns inside your flesh. You will ignite
it everywhere you go, with torches raised
to carry on and on, with faces white
and trembling--unless
you break the rhythm
like old estate sale china,
sweep up the pieces before the neighbor
kids get hurt, and maybe dare
to write something new.

We've

left

Egypt:

pungent roots

and goads. We still sweat,

And the salt now tastes like freedom,

streaming down our sunburned backs in gleaming stripes, but thirst

keeps our eyes on the pyramids.

We've learned denial

is more than

a state

of

mind.