by Michael L. Ruffin
We've been through
some bad foolishness
the last four years.
We'll go through
more foolishness
the next four.
We'll see efforts to do
foolish things such as
expand health care,
address climate change,
deal rationally with pandemics,
address systemic racism,
follow science, and
seek economic fairness.
Such efforts will
face resistance,
confront opposition, and
be labeled radical.
They'll make progress.
We'll make progress.
Get ready
for more foolishness,
for necessary foolishness,
for meaningful foolishness,
for compassionate foolishness
for positive foolishness,
for helpful foolishness
for hopeful foolishness.
Get ready
for good foolishness.
Michael L. Ruffin is a writer, editor, preacher, and teacher living and working in Georgia. He posts poems on Instagram (@michaell.ruffin) and prose opinions at On the Jericho Road. He is author of Fifty-Seven: A Memoir of Death and Life and of the forthcoming Praying with Matthew. His poetry has appeared at The New Verse News, Rat's Ass Review, 3 Moon Magazine, and U-Rights Magazine.