a bodhisattva votes

This Election Tuesday is momentual for me personally as I get to support two amazing women in my life in their campaigns for office — my cousin Shauna Dunnings, who’s running for Probate Judge, and my friend from high school Elissa Slotkin, who’s running for the 8th District U.S. Congressional seat!

(I also went to junior school with a third woman who is a candidate for another local judicial office.)

Heartened and hopeful as I am, the reality is there are elected officials who still refuse to acknowledge the humanity of marginalized and oppressed communities and actively create policies that continue to jeopardize our well-being on every level.

So these words from adrienne maree brown are a timely centering prayer and the soulful lyrics from Jill Scott’s song My Petition (which I’ve been playing on repeat lately) captures a sliver of my current mood.

           

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@adriennemareebrown:

“spell for election day; utter out loud anytime between 12:01 and poll closing where you are.” #goodwitch #spells #castouttheconfederacy

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My Petition — Jill Scott

You say you mean good for me But you don’t do it You say you have a plan but you just don’t go through with it You say you know the way to go And I should follow But all of your empty promises Leave me hollow

And oh How do I trust you How do I love you When you Lie to me repeatedly And oh How do I have faith, in you When you just don’t come through Like you say you could

Oh, say can you see Oh, say can you see

You say that I’m wrong for Stating my opinion to you You say that I’m wrong and there’ll be quiet consequences too But I know my rights babe There’ll be no law abridging The freedom of my speech Or the right for me to petition for a remedy of grievances

And I want to trust you I want to love you yeah But you lie to me repeatedly And oh I want to have faith in you But you just don’t come through Like you said you could Oh say can you see Hm

I want fresh fruit, clean water, Air that I don’t see I want the feeling of being safe on my streets I want my children to be smarter than me I want, I want to feel I want to feel, I want to feel free For real y’all I’m just telling you so you know I want to, I want to have faith in you I really do but you keep lying to me And it hurts I believe, I believe you owe it me Give it to me like you said you would Hm Oh say can you see Hm Oh say can you see Oh say can you see Hm By the dawn’s early light.

from Beautifully Human: Words + Sounds Vol. 2