Unnatural Disaster

I was given some advice once

That “son, any place is within walking distance

If you have the time.”

And I've been wondering lately,

When was the last time

We looked at a map

Instead of an article?

Did you know

That only 7% of the US is covered in water?

Meaning

Our country is 93% within reach

Depending on the bridges we are willing to manifest destiny

With open palms instead of closed minds.

It is amazing

The walls a national disaster can break.

The political party lines

That get stepped over when you recognize

That another human being

Is

Another human being.

And I’ve heard

That solid arguments make for shitty boats.

Can’t keep someone from drowning

While your busy gerrymandering your way into obsolete.

Maybe hurricane Harvey

Knew we would only stop pointing fingers

If we had to use all of them to keep from sinking.

Keep an entire city

From becoming a story of

“If only we had a warning.”

Fact.

Before an earthquake hits there are tremors.

Before a tornado strikes

There are certain conditions that must be met.

Before a hurricane is given a name

We can plot it’s trajectory.

So if we tear ourselves to pieces,

Do not tell me there weren’t any warning signs.

A mosque burning

Leaves a scent.

A deported family

Leaves a bitter taste.

A colored body

Made unwilling hashtag

Leaves a trail.

One you can follow all over this country.

And we are one intentional

Natural disaster away

From becoming a Stephen King novel.

When actually having a dialogue

Becomes a novelty

You can start hearing our countdown clock ticking.

And no one seems to know how to tell time anymore.

Did you know

It took four years and five months to build the Golden State Bridge?

Eleven men died during its construction.

We don’t honor their names,

But everyday 40,000 people

Benefit from the work they did.

You do not build a bridge

By asking the materials "where they are really from?"

By questioning if the blueprint is Democrat or Republican.

By mapping out distances

In terms of which portion of water pays the most taxes.

You build a bridge

By figuring out where you want to go.

And finding the safest way

To get as many people there as possible.

By putting in the work

To find where two points can come together.

When I was in high school,

Someone wrote 'nigger lover’ on my girlfriend’s car.

I say someone

But I knew who she was.

She was actually the first girl I ever French kissed.

I guess I just didn’t do it right.

A couple of years ago

She sent me a friend request.

And I accepted it.

Not because I'd forgotten what she did.

But because it was clear to me

She was asking to build a bridge.

And bridges that cover any meaningful distance

Are rarely built from one side.

I am inspired

By the men and women who came to a city

Literally underwater,

And didn’t just see another Instagram opportunity.

I hope the next time we can come together

It isn’t because

We are trying to keep people from dying.

There will always be another hurricane.

But if we’re not careful,

It may arrive to find a people

Who destroyed themselves.

An unnatural disaster

we saw coming

for years.