I believe in the power of positive thinking.
I don't believe we all get our just deserts.
I believe if you're happy, it's contagious.
I don't believe only the good die young.
I believe George Floyd was murdered.
I don't believe you go to heaven when you die.
I believe watching too much news will put you
in the madhouse. I don't believe riots and violence
solve anything. If you want to be a good poet, you need
to learn how to write. I believe that every life matters.
I don't believe you should always eat everything
on your plate. I believe keeping close with your family
is emotionally healthy. I don't believe you always get
what you pay for. I believe in Dr. King's prescription
for social change. I don't believe a parachute
will save you if you jump off of Mt. Everest. I believe
you need to be circumspect in your beliefs. If you want
to be a bad poet, make sure you don't write very well.
I wouldn't plant grass seed that I knew would not grow.
I believe the video is just the tip of the iceberg.
Gil Hoy is a Best of the Net nominated Boston poet, semi-retired trial lawyer, and progressive political activist who studied poetry at Boston University through its Evergreen program. Hoy previously received a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science from Boston University, an M.A. in Government from Georgetown University, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He served as a Brookline, Massachusetts, Selectman for four terms. Hoy’s poetry has appeared most recently in Tipton Poetry Journal, Chiron Review, Ariel Chart, Mobius: The Journal of Social Change, TheNewVerse.News, The Potomac, and The Penmen Review.