We need both patience and impatience
to change the world:
the patience of trees
waiting for sunlight
to convert into energy;
the patience of flowers
waiting for bees
to pollinate them
to spread their generosity;
the patience of mountain climbers
waiting for the right conditions
to scale soaring peaks─
the Roman empire
wasn’t felled in a day or a week.
In the meantime
we don’t need acceptance, acquiescence
but more impatience
with endemic injustice,
with the endless atrocities
of this avaricious system,
impatience to do what we need to
to build understanding, unity,
to forge people, plans, strategy
so if the rare chance comes
to put this empire out of our misery
it isn’t squandered, thrown away.
There is a flower
called impatiens,
pink, orange, purple, white and red.
Its name sounds like impatience
but all it needs
is a little shade and moisture,
resilient, low maintenance
like those who are impatient with patience
but seriously want to succeed,
to win─
those like me.