the knots we knit
for social fabrics can seem
decorative or made of hopes
loose connections
and experiments, dropped stitches,
other lace; they take their shape
from our hands and keep us warm
but we forget that warmth
in wearing
until comes the knife
to cut threads and injure
us suddenly aware
of interdependences we took
for granted but needed now more
and so it is in crisis in fear that we
must let ourselves
notice gratitude; when yesterday
cops came
and arrested a tenant for the council's
rent strike, I
two states away
could do nothing but mobilize
comrades and worry
at where the fabric would unravel, where
it would strengthen in tension,
where it would expose the chill
of oppression, which welcomes itself inside
and says that
surely those hurt
must have deserved pain
because otherwise the world would be unjust
which is a lot to accept
all at once; easier
to blame your neighbor for being hurt
and empathize with those
who came today to cause pain,
how hard
that must have been for them, the managers
the police, to know
they came to hurt, clearly worse
than for those not burdened
with anticipation;
from my distance I could but trust
in those I knew in the struggle
and feel lucky to be alongside them
and even in the crisis, behind or all around
the fear, one feels also forward
to the processes of darning
and slow knitting, of grateful
healing, warmer now
in its awareness of warmth,
tenderer now
in its awareness of tension
and needs for strengththe knots we knit
for social fabrics can seem
decorative or made of hopes
loose connections
and experiments, dropped stitches,
other lace; they take their shape
from our hands and keep us warm
but we forget that warmth
in wearing
until comes the knife
to cut threads and injure
us suddenly aware
of interdependences we took
for granted but needed now more
and so it is in crisis in fear that we
must let ourselves
notice gratitude; when yesterday
cops came
and arrested a tenant for the council's
rent strike, I
two states away
could do nothing but mobilize
comrades and worry
at where the fabric would unravel, where
it would strengthen in tension,
where it would expose the chill
of oppression, which welcomes itself inside
and says that
surely those hurt
must have deserved pain
because otherwise the world would be unjust
which is a lot to accept
all at once; easier
to blame your neighbor for being hurt
and empathize with those
who came today to cause pain,
how hard
that must have been for them, the managers
the police, to know
they came to hurt, clearly worse
than for those not burdened
with anticipation;
from my distance I could but trust
in those I knew in the struggle
and feel lucky to be alongside them
and even in the crisis, behind or all around
the fear, one feels also forward
to the processes of darning
and slow knitting, of grateful
healing, warmer now
in its awareness of warmth,
tenderer now
in its awareness of tension
and needs for strengththe knots we knit
for social fabrics can seem
decorative or made of hopes
loose connections
and experiments, dropped stitches,
other lace; they take their shape
from our hands and keep us warm
but we forget that warmth
in wearing
until comes the knife
to cut threads and injure
us suddenly aware
of interdependences we took
for granted but needed now more
and so it is in crisis in fear that we
must let ourselves
notice gratitude; when yesterday
cops came
and arrested a tenant for the council's
rent strike, I
two states away
could do nothing but mobilize
comrades and worry
at where the fabric would unravel, where
it would strengthen in tension,
where it would expose the chill
of oppression, which welcomes itself inside
and says that
surely those hurt
must have deserved pain
because otherwise the world would be unjust
which is a lot to accept
all at once; easier
to blame your neighbor for being hurt
and empathize with those
who came today to cause pain,
how hard
that must have been for them, the managers
the police, to know
they came to hurt, clearly worse
than for those not burdened
with anticipation;
from my distance I could but trust
in those I knew in the struggle
and feel lucky to be alongside them
and even in the crisis, behind or all around
the fear, one feels also forward
to the processes of darning
and slow knitting, of grateful
healing, warmer now
in its awareness of warmth,
tenderer now
in its awareness of tension
and needs for strengththe knots we knit
for social fabrics can seem
decorative or made of hopes
loose connections
and experiments, dropped stitches,
other lace; they take their shape
from our hands and keep us warm
but we forget that warmth
in wearing
until comes the knife
to cut threads and injure
us suddenly aware
of interdependences we took
for granted but needed now more
and so it is in crisis in fear that we
must let ourselves
notice gratitude; when yesterday
cops came
and arrested a tenant for the council's
rent strike, I
two states away
could do nothing but mobilize
comrades and worry
at where the fabric would unravel, where
it would strengthen in tension,
where it would expose the chill
of oppression, which welcomes itself inside
and says that
surely those hurt
must have deserved pain
because otherwise the world would be unjust
which is a lot to accept
all at once; easier
to blame your neighbor for being hurt
and empathize with those
who came today to cause pain,
how hard
that must have been for them, the managers
the police, to know
they came to hurt, clearly worse
than for those not burdened
with anticipation;
from my distance I could but trust
in those I knew in the struggle
and feel lucky to be alongside them
and even in the crisis, behind or all around
the fear, one feels also forward
to the processes of darning
and slow knitting, of grateful
healing, warmer now
in its awareness of warmth,
tenderer now
in its awareness of tension
and needs for strength
