The Work of Citizenship

A white woman with dreadlocks and a colorful hairband, and a Black man with short hair dyed blond, sort food and clothing at a food bank. They are working at a table on which there are large plastic bins for clothes and smaller bins for bread and canned goods. Behind them are the windows of the room they are working in, with small potted plants on the windowsill.

When the last campaign ad has aired;
When polling stations are closed and the count has been certified;
When pundits and politicians have turned in for the night
And pollsters and political operatives are turning their thoughts to the next big race,
The work of citizenship remains:

To care more for the marginalized than for profit margins;
To be mindful that quality education is far less expensive than mass incarceration;
To insist that military intervention is a last resort,
Not the preemptive prerogative of the powerful.

In short, to know that our true wealth is the welfare of all beings and the planet that we all call home.

[Inspired by Howard Thurman’s “The Work of Christmas.”]