counterpressure

i think a lot about fred rogers,
how he allied himself with television
(that dangerous thing)
to extend belovedness to children.
i think, too, about judy key,
who bruised my back with kindness
while i labored my motherhood into the world.
and about berry's manifesto,
how he said to embrace ignorance
(if the alternative is destruction),
to ally yourself
with sequoias,
with curiosity,
with women in labor
–how the weapons of peace are absurdities!
worn plowshares
and television programming
and a palm pressed, open,
on an aching back.