Incantation for restoring democracy,
for when the people's voice has been silenced
by concrete and steel.
INGREDIENTS:
Three pieces of glass from a broken window
from the Third Precinct
[as evidence of broken trust
between people and power].
One voter registration form
destroyed because the address was incorrect
[for proof of systematic voter suppression].
A piece of concrete saved from BLM Plaza
[for authenticity of ground zero resistance].
Three bullet casings collected at the intersection
of East 34th Street and Portland Avenue
in south Minneapolis
[for tangible evidence of federal bullets
that silenced a mother's voice].
The stethoscope that an ICU nurse
used to care for veterans
[to capture democracy's final breath].
A chant whispered in German, Italian,
and Sardinian, muttered in despair
[for international solidarity with the fight].
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Stand tall and proud
with your feet planted on the concrete,
preferably in defiance.
2. Place all ingredients on the nearest barricade,
in front of you but just out of reach,
so that it is difficult to grab them
without stretching the system.
3. Raise your fist in salute
and recite the incantation
with a sense of gravity
and revolutionary contempt.
"By barricades deep and wide
democracy we shall revive.
Destroy the lies restore the rule
join hands with us renounce the fool.
No more darkness no more shame,
justice and humanity shall prevail."
To encourage democracy to come back
you can create following sound effects:
RATTLE: scrape the broken glass on the concrete
to simulate the voices that have been taken away.
DISTORT: crumple the voter form next to your ear
to simulate the muffling of the people's will.
AMPLIFY: cup your hands around your mouth while speaking
to simulate the sound of someone calling for help
while being shot by federal officers.
Now, collect all the ingredients in a small, desperate pile
and let them marinate in your frustration
for at least one hour,
during which you will check again all the back channels,
secret meetings and encrypted messages.
Finally, add one last sound effect:
the hollow sound of immoral politicians
who have been enabling the rambling of a sick mind,
followed by a sigh
that gradually fades
to the sound of democracy that refuses to die.