It’s Okay! They’re Ours!
January 20, 2021, and the sound of guns
The fireworks boom and glare in the night
over the ground where hours before
spectators were cautioned officially
It’s okay! There will be cannon shooting blanks!
It’s okay! It’s our people!
It’s okay! It’s a good thing!
It’s okay! Just the traditional ceremony!
It’s okay! It’s not the white supremacists
not the neo-Nazis
not the Proud Boys
not the MAGA-hatted Trumpists trying to steal the election!
Not this time…
Not this time…
Not like 156 years and 192 days before
when insurrectionist gunfire could be heard from the Capital
until beaten back still miles away
and never did a CSA banner wave
in the house of the USA government
until zero years and 14 days before
when gunfire echoed as rioters and defenders died
until blood stained the floors
and CSA banners floated through hallways
in the house of the USA government
But it’s okay now! The bad man is gone
the bad people didn’t come
the bad things didn’t happen
it’s okay
fences come down
troops go home
people walk on the grass again
normal is what normal was
with tourists taking photos
enjoying the views
pointing to the Capital
with MAGA hats in their backpacks
