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December 7, 1941
official death toll 2,403
Navy personnel, Marines, Army service members, civilians
a nation in peril
recruiting stations
a pivotal moment of solidarity
and yet thousands of Americans kill themselves yearly
as a result of depression
and more die from addiction
isn’t that a silent Pearl Harbor
when basic norms of decency, civility
and truthfulness are under constant threat
isn’t that a silent Pearl Harbor
when Black and Brown youth are
many times more likely to be incarcerated as White youth
isn’t that a silent Pearl Harbor

a dedicated nurse navigates 12-hour shifts at a VA hospital
providing care to covid patients
the epitome of self-care
a furloughed hotel culinary worker faces the days to come
questioning God and where the next meal will come from
confounded by the self-indulging nature of others
a concerned congregation indignant once again because
Black youth face malicious injustice
as vicious as 1955
a college student convinced she is the only one
haunted by compulsive thoughts about her own worthlessness
equated by mathematical theories and agents of poverty alleviation
the Trump-supporting small business man
silently clenches his fist in rage
as presumptuous dinner guests
disparage his way of life and theology
their pain is a common threat

a lack of healthy connection
inability to see the dignity in others
resulting in fear, distrust, tribalism, shame, strife
an obsolete system
operating on the basis of one-dimensional perspectives
of the Holy Spirit

processing insecurity, overwhelmed by collective reality
attempting to understand why
there was ever a reason for weeping to endure for a night