Say Yes
By Andrea Gibson

when two violins are placed in a room
if a chord on one violin is struck  
the other violin will sound the note  
if this is your definition of hope
this is for you  
the ones who know how powerful we are  
who know we can sound the music in the people around us  
simply by playing our own strings  
for the ones who sing life into broken wings
open their chests and offer their breath  
as wind on a still day when nothing seems to be moving  
spare those intent on proving god is dead  
for you when your fingers are red
from clutching your heart  
so it will beat faster  
for the time you mastered the art of giving yourself for the sake of someone else  
for the ones who have felt what it is to crush the lies  
and lift truth so high the steeples bow to the sky  
this is for you  
this is also for the people who wake early to watch flowers bloom  
who notice the moon at noon on a day when the world  
has slapped them in the face with its lack of light  
for the mothers who feed their children first  
and thirst for nothing when they’re full

this is for women  
and for the men who taught me only women bleed with the moon  
but there are men who cry when women bleed
men who bleed from women’s wounds  
and this is for that moon  
on the nights she seems hung by a noose  
for the people who cut her loose  (
and for the people still waiting for the rope to burn
about to learn they have scissors in their hands

this is for the man who showed me  
the hardest thing about having nothing  
is having nothing to give  
who said the only reason to live is to give ourselves away  
so this is for the day we’ll quit our jobs and work for something real  
we’ll feel for sunshine in the shadows
look for sunrays in the shade  
this is for the people who rattle the cage that slave wage built  
and for the ones who didn’t know the filth until tonight  
but right now are beginning songs that sound something like
people turning their porch lights on and calling the homeless back home

this is for all the shit we own  
and for the day we’ll learn how much we have  
when we learn to give that shit away  
this is for doubt becoming faith  
for falling from grace and climbing back up  
for trading our silver platters for something that matters
like the gold that shines from our hands when we hold each other

this is for the grandmother who walked a thousand miles on broken glass
to find that single patch of grass to plant a family tree  
where the fruit would grow to laugh  
for the ones who know the math of war  
has always been subtraction  
so they live like an action of addition  
for you when you give like every star is wishing on you  
and for the people still wishing on stars  
this is for you too

this is for the times you went through hell so someone else wouldn’t have to  
for the time you taught a 14 year old girl she was powerful  
this is for the time you taught a 14 year old boy he was beautiful  
for the radical anarchist asking a republican to dance  
cause what’s the chance of everyone moving from right to left  
if the only moves they see are NBC and CBS
this is for the no becoming yes  
for scars becoming breath
for saying i love you to people who will never say it to us  
for scraping away the rust and remembering how to shine  
for the dime you gave away when you didn’t have a penny  
for the many beautiful things we do  
for every song we’ve ever sung  
for refusing to believe in miracles  
because miracles are the impossible coming true
and everything is possible

this is for the possibility that guides us  
and for the possibilities still waiting to sing  
and spread their wings inside us  
cause tonight saturn is on his knees  
proposing with all of his ten thousand rings  
that whatever song we’ve been singing we sing even more
the world needs us right now more than it ever has before  
pull all your strings  
play every chord  
if you’re writing letters to the prisoners
start tearing down the bars  
if you’re handing out flashlights in the dark  
start handing out stars  
never go a second hushing the percussion of your heart  
play loud  
play like you know the clouds have left too many people cold and broken  
and you’re their last chance for sun  
play like there’s no time for hoping brighter days will come  
play like the apocalypse is only 4…3…2  
but you have a drum in your chest that could save us  
you have a song like a breath that could raise us
like the sunrise into a dark sky that cries to be blue
play like you know we won’t survive if you don’t
but we will if you do
play like saturn is on his knees
proposing with all of his ten thousand rings
that we give every single breath
this is for saying-yes

this is for saying-yes

Blessings for the Decade of Being All That We Can Be!

***
The Queen welcomes questions concerning all issues of interest to women in their mature years. Send your inquiries to thequeenofmyself@aol.com

Queen Mama Donna offers upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity.

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