partially inspired by Pat Humphries’ song “Never Turning Back”
Despite what happened yesterday
In celebration of what happened yesterday
I want to keep on moving forward
I want to take the victories
and shout them from mountain tops.
I want to take the defeats
and do whatever’s necessary to
keep them warm and safe.
I want to find aisles to reach across
It could be a supermarket aisle.
Be prepared to hug me, strangers
in front of the fresh produce.
(Even in the cereal aisle, that’s fine.)
I want to find the people I disagree with
and give them both of my hands.
I want them to feel the warmth
that we can only create together.
I want to replace disagreement
with song and hot meals.
It’s impossible to hate someone
when there’s a table full of food
in front of you both.
It is impossible to hate someone
when you’re singing together.
I want to sing so loud
even the hurricanes go
okay we’re going to blow over here
for a while. Maybe forever.
I want to reach across our borders
because borders are stupid anyway.
I want to stop these wars together
because you can’t fix the entire world
by yourself. People are everything.
People are the best thing.
Some like blue. Some like red.
Some like dogs. Some like cats.
Some like Dodgers.
Some like Yankees
Some couldn’t even tell you
what ball is used to play that game.
My God if one of those teams could win
and neither city managed to burn to the ground
there’s hope. Hope has never left America.
Hand in hand, food in mouth
Song in throat
Together is the only way
to move forward.
Gonna keep on moving forward
Keep on moving forward
Keep on moving forward
Never turning back
Never turning back