musée mia burrus

Another federal election

Four years ago Ian Brown profiled Justin Trudeau in the Globe and Mail, and as a preamble quoted Henry Adams’ definition of politics. Adams wrote, “politics as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds”. I don’t consider myself a political writer but immediately thought that Adams’ words made an excellent title that demanded a poem. Much has happened since it was plain old Stephen Harper we were worried about. Plus ca change, plus c’est le meme shit.

 

 Henry Adams defined politics as “the systematic organization of hatreds”.
 The Systematic Organization of Hatreds
 Big words
 for a simple task.  
 Look, one hand is your left 
 hand, the other is right.  
 Think of it as black 
 and white, the one
 and ninety nine 
 percent.  On this side 
 are folks like us.  
 On that side 
 are the way too 
 or the not enough.
  
 You get 
 the point.  And any
 idiot will tell you 
 might makes right! 
 It’s what’s between us 
 two that makes
 you the knucklehead. So
 talk to the hand and see
 if it likes 
 what you’ve said.
  
  
 But wait… let us uncurl 
 those fists, let 
 the accusing finger 
 drop.  Observe ten 
 digits, silver 
 threads of complex 
 thought, unfurl 
 into ‘I don’t know’
 or ‘come what may’, 
 entwine to protect 
 and cherish, come alive 
 to flex and play, to touch in
 wordless bravery and say 
 together we will find the way.