On Processing Violence

Grieve for the words unspoken, the song unsung, the family undone.
Grieve for the trauma, the tears, the raw despair.
Grieve for the soul, the body, the spirit, the whole.

We have removed ourselves,
Pacified our egos,
Dehumanized,
Lied,
Died.

Color thrives, survives, and endures;

While
we
breathe.

While
we
be.

Our skin allows us the space_between
Truth_grief_empathy_action.

This. Must. Cease.
The time is now.
The work is urgent.
Lives are at stake.

Lies to be unmade,
Joy to live another day.
To unite;
for peace
for justice
for all.



an original work by Katie Gibson-Ledl on processing the brutalization of black and brown persons, trans* individuals, and women around the globe.