"Believe"

A poem for a fool.

We suppress the collective realization that
we’re all fools, some of us raging &
some only somewhat so, but fools
nonetheless. Yet, we trust in the competence
& excellence of random strangers.
The mechanics weren’t sleep-deprived &
hungover when performing the maintenance
check for our flight. There were no loose
bolts & nuts pocketed with a
world-weary shrug & half-hearted:
eh, should be fine.

II.

That teenager isn’t checking their phone
while merging lanes. That man isn’t
distracted by two wailing toddlers as he
cuts across traffic to make his exit.
That woman isn’t fiddling with her vape as
the light slows to red—she won’t speed
through the intersection, oblivious.

III.

Buses always check their blind spots
for bikers. People’s dogs are well-trained &
docile, or else they wouldn’t be off-leash
at the park, right? The doctors & nurses
disinfected their hands before sticking them
in our mouths to tickle our tonsils.

IV.

Our government has invested in our
infrastructure. They vetted the engineers
when vouching for the bridge’s structural
integrity. Corners weren’t cut in the
zoning process. Our high-rise apartment
wasn’t constructed on shifting sand &
fetid swampland. Our police officers are
there to protect & serve, to de-escalate &
preempt conflict. They're not there to
antagonize, profile, & instigate violence
as the long arm of aristocratic oppression.

People are kind. Strangers push a stalled
vehicle out of harm’s way in a busy
intersection. People don’t look in one
another’s bowls to see how much they
have but to ensure they have enough.
People share food, money, clothes,
shelter, & time with their
neediest community members.

VI.

People understand the struggle for
survival. They want nothing more than
to live a good life & help their friends,
family, & strangers enjoy the same.
People are beautiful beings of love who
go out of their way to share the spark
in their souls with the world. They
brighten it one smile, song, drink,
& pay-it-forward at a time.

VII.

We know how lucky we are to be alive,
appreciating this happy accident of fate.
We rotate through infinite space on
this third rock from the sun in a backwater
corner of a modest galaxy of 100 billion
stars. Neighbor to 100 billion galaxies,
how could we be alone in the Universe?
The Creator has shown such a
bountiful harvest of matter, light, &
possibilities. They stretch to the end,
beginning, & nonexistence of time
—everything everywhere, all at once.

VIII.

Gaia has created us gorgeous, perfect
vessels of love. We are brilliant,
unique specimens of compassion,
generosity, presence, forgiveness, joy,
& ingenious creativity. Every day,
we sow divinity through our acts of
surrender, our proffered trust deposited
into the cosmic basket,
the fabric of society we all share.

IX.

We are always protected, blessed,
guided, & loved with an incomparable,
incomprehensible fervor. Getting cut off
in traffic is an opportunity to observe our
default reaction of cursing the offending
driver & their bloodline. Catch yourself
& unleash a grateful smile for
the opportunity to practice
grace, patience, & forgiveness.

Who knows what sort of stress that
other soul may be enduring?
Send them love for their journey &
be on your way, blissful & content in
the knowledge you were lucky to
open your heart for a moment &
let that soul in. There’s no need to
stew & fume & gesticulate.

XI.

Trust that everything is happening as
it should. Stop fighting the flow of Chi.
Ride with it. Let the current deposit
you on the riverbank of paradise.

First published in San Antonio Review