To Karimah,

My ears and mind hear you
 as the clock unwinds: 
loud, 
clear, 
and filled with benign fear,
that my sisters and brothers, 
the water and the earth of our land and great nation, 
now must live in damned nation. 

Yet, 
fear not, 
for resilience and fortitude will return. 

Hardship and strife 
will breathe into us new life, and 
unite us in strength. 

This struggle is temporary, yet 
our spirit will remain indomitable. 

We must serve as a model, and 
illumination, 
we will follow, 
because now, 
especially now, 
is not the time to waste with dark paths before us. 
Only light and hope will lead us forward, and 
forward, 
we will go.