Poem: What We Can Hold

(Poem for accessibility)

What We Can Hold

I skimmed the news
and my heart couldn’t hold
all the shattered pieces
of so many other hearts.

My arms couldn’t reach
far enough to mend
shrapnel wounds and
third-degree burns.

I scrolled my feed, and
neither hot takes
nor snarky burns
could balloon my heart
nor lengthen my arms.

What do we do when
what we see is more
than we can hold?

Do we fight?
Do we flee?
Do we freeze?

Do we listen?