We shall need a Ministry of Poetry,
For the hysterics of our present histories need the balm of poetry.
We shall need a National Budget for Flowers,
For the small big horrors of our alien citizenry need the beauty of a daily flower delivery.
We shall need a Department of Artistic Affairs,
For the ghastly heartscapes of the past need to meet brave reimaginings of our future.
We shall need a National Deep Breathing Resolution,
For the chronic hyperventilation is making We the People lunge into spirals of chaos.
We shall need a Bipartisan Council of Laughter and Tears,
For the false choice of the pursuit of happiness or facing sadness is tearing us apart.
We shall need a Garden of Mourning,
For the suppressed furious grief needs a release, a witness, and a chance to heal.
We shall need a Declaration of Interdependence,
For the misguided delusions of independence have made our world hollow and alone.
This poem first appeared in Sligo Journal of Arts & Letters (2023).
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Neha Misra (she/her) is an award-winning climate justice advocate, immigrant poet, and contemporary eco-folk artist. Her interdisciplinary practice builds bridges between private, collective, planetary healing and justice. Neha is a Public Voices Fellow on the Climate Crisis — an initiative of the OpEd Project and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication to change who writes history. She is the Global Ambassador of non-profit Remote Energy, making solar training more accessible. Learn more at nehamisrastudio.com
