<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">In This Broken Time<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br class=""></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Tyrants will roar their victories,<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">painting their red dreams <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">on the lids of the nation—<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">And kindness will be kindness.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Greed will scoop out the soft places<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">with sharp spoons <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">leaving only hunger— <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">And mercy will be mercy.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Fear will cry its hot misguided wrath,<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">sending nightmares through the land, <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">shocking dreamers from their sleep in dread—<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">And courage will be courage.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Brutality will shake its tiny fist <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">gloved thick with power;<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">people will be killed in shameful ways, <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">the storms of grief and rage will howl—<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">And goodness will be goodness.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">In the end, no matter the deceit,<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">no matter how compelling, <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">we can’t be broken from our truest selves—<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">we always circle back around<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">and find our honor where we left it.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Our people, our American people, <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">our many-colored threads<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">stretched tight in warp and weft <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">between that which knows<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">its own goodness <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">and that which does not—<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Will claim the land again for our children<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">and the enemy’s children, too,<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">mending finally all the tears in the<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">cloth of who we once and still <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">so dream of being.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Kalia Mussetter<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: '"Times New Roman"', Times, serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br class=""></div></body></html>