Poetry From Week 1 of Trump's Presidency

Frontlines

Ever been here

Down in the trenches

Out on the frontlines

Marginalized

In so many ways

That everything hits

No matter what

Every ICE raid

An artillery shell

Executive order

Our supply lines

Pinched tighter

No time to relax

Prep while the going stays good

Cause you never know when it’ll stop

I already got PTSD

Looking over my shoulder

Seeing things

In the edge of my vision

That flee when I look

Is it an over-reaction

Or a justified response to

Attempts on my life

It all doesn’t seem real

And yet it is

It never stops hurting

Anarchist’s Taunt

Who’s it this time?

You know the types

A hydra of hatred

All heads of

The same beast

They rise

And fall

With the ebb

And flow

Of history

They rise

We strike

Who’s with us?

I can’t be scared

For I already have

Nothing to lose

Since loss means

Annihilation

Are you scared?

Preparation

That’s all that’s left

Prepare

Prepare!

Prepare!!

Make connections

Forge community

Download guides

Study them

Lock down your socials

Stock up on meds

Get your affairs in order

Who’s the threat?

It could be anyone.

What’s going to happen?

No idea, that’s why we prepare.

Where’s the front lines?

We’re already behind enemy lines.

When will it start?

It just did.

1/20/2024

How long’s it going to last?

Best buckle in for the long haul.

But why?

No empathy.

Opps on the radar

Whole scope’s ablaze

Time’s up

Silence

Equals

Death

History

I

Now

Inauguration Day

I hardly paid attention

Just tried to ignore it all

Block out the news

He talked a lot of smack

I expected it all

So I didn’t pay attention

But we all saw that

Don’t let them deceive you

What Elon did

The Party told you

To reject the evidence of

Your eyes and ears

It was their final

Most essential

Command

They made excuses

No excuses

Now prepare

For the oncoming storm

You know, at first it all didn’t seem real. It still doesn’t. I guess I’ve dissociated. The ICE raid in Newark, New Jersey inspired me to write Frontlines. That’s pretty close by to me and I’m not white. I’m also vulnerable to any of their attempts to mess with birthright citizenship because my dad is an immigrant. I wrote Inauguration Day as I was putting these poems together for this collection. NYC is gonna be a huge target for Trump and my mayor wants a pardon (he’s under investigation for illegal campaign donations and bribery, he deserves jail more than Luigi), so whatever is about to happen, I’m gonna have a front-row seat.