from outer space you cannot see the fictions we trace
blisterin Earth’s topographies into geographies
of countries for the sake of economies
from outer space you cannot see the fictions we trace
conquest slicing scenery valley and prairie imploded, exploded,
regions claimed through thievery legions forced into slavery
forest, desert and rivers dammed, dissected, bisected
reflective of friction that makes only a few richer
from outer space you cannot see the fictions we trace
land and sea carved, claimed and maimed into partitions
walls and borders to protect the hoarders
keep out the foreigners
except for those governments like to torture
incarceration instead of reparation
the contradiction of land acknowledgment
without the abolishment of colonization
from outer space you cannot see the fictions we trace
buildin’ monuments to dominance
designatin n decimatin Earth’s continents
to serve our discontentment
from outer space you cannot see the fictions we trace
makin islands from plastics streams outta toxics
building mountains from cement
pavement spreading like missionaries
crucifying thirst quenching tributaries
from outer space you cannot see the fictions we trace
dismissin our own species as blight we practice apartheid
refugees and the unhoused sleeping on the bare ground
but the police state building their own Atlantis in Atlanta
from outer space you cannot see the fictions we trace on Earth and Earthlings
to free ourselves from the demolition our fictions cause the globe our vision must be
Earth is a shared biome yeah an undeniable apparition from outer space
but a connective perspective is under jurisdiction of our inner space
from inner space we can trace the similarity we have clarity despite disparities
if you wanna get scientific, every one of us, even the fungus among us,
is made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus
the molecules of you, the molecules of me,
the molecules of all of us is cosmic dust, y’all
from inner space we can trace the face of the goddess in each of us
from the psychedelic chalice of the aurora borealis to the climbin clematis
from the whale, snail and swallowtail to the seal, eel, even lemon peel
from the grand canyon to the banyan trees—please don’t pretend our differences make us different.
from inner space we can trace
the lies that fly the flags,
the lies that draw the lines,
monopolizin Earth into arbitrary territories
from inner space we can trace the fictions,
the contradictions that make us forget
this dome is collective home no matter where you roam
no matter the chromosomes, each and every genome on Earth needin’
air that doesn’t choke us water that doesn’t croak us
soil that feeds us shelter that heals us
from inner space to outer space
we can taste our global need for community
we embrace each and every being’s divinity
and maybe finally
we’ll learn to trace Earth’s example of unity
Your poem is really fantastic and fine-tuned to our weird and aching planetary reality.
It was fabulous to hear/see you recite it. Thanks!